Personal Care This Summer
For many, the summer conjures memories of garden BBQs, lazily sunbathing and more quality time spent with friends and family. However, for some elderly people, the summer can be a potentially problematic time.
Many authorities report that during the hottest days of summer; older people usually have the biggest health concerns. Whether they are suffering from heat exhaustion, heat stroke, troubles with blood circulation, high blood pressure, sudden changes in their diet or the development of various diseases; there are many potential problems facing elderly people this summer.
Now that summer has officially arrived, and with the UK seeing an unprecedented heatwave, we thought it an opportune time to highlight the need for personal care in the summer. As a reputable supplier of high quality personal care from Telford; we know a few proven ways to implement personal care this summer. So we thought why not share them with you.
Remember To Drink Plenty of Water
When temperatures start to reach extreme highs in the UK, it can cause serious dehydration in many people, be it young or old. However, older people are particularly susceptible to becoming dehydrated during this period.
During more extreme temperatures, your body can overheat and this is of increased concern for the elderly. When your body starts to overheat, you sweat more which leads to dehydration.
It is recommended that you should drink 6-8 cups of water, or other liquids, a day. But when it is hotter, you might want to consider increasing this number. You will want to monitor your liquid intake. Not just to ensure you do not become dehydrated but also to ensure you do not drink too much liquid and in turn, make yourself ill.
Find Shade As Much As Possible
One of the leading causes of elderly people visiting the emergency room in the summer is due to heatstroke. Heatstroke is usually caused by physical exertion in high temperatures or by prolonged exposure to the sun. Burning and/or sunburn on the head can also cause symptoms of heat stroke.
The symptoms of heat stroke can include aches and pains, nausea, potential loss of consciousness and struggle breathing. As you can tell from the list of these symptoms, heat stroke is a serious condition. As such, you should do everything in your power to combat it.
Aside from ensuring you do not overexert yourself when it is particularly warm, you want to seek out shade wherever possible. Seeking shade will help keep you cool and protect against the harsh realities of the sun.
Acquire Efficient Skin Protection
While on the topic of sheltering yourself from the sun; you should also consider looking after your skin. When the UV Index is high, which throughout most of the summer months, it probably will be, you will want to protect your skin against burns and other skin related problems.
As such, you should maybe invest in an efficient sun cream or other types of sun protection. A higher factor sun cream is usually advised for elderly people as this offers the most effective and all encompassing protection.
Protect Against Allergens
Allergens are particularly high during the summer period. 1 in 4 people in the UK suffer from hay fever during the summer season. This means you might want to consider helping elderly people to protect against allergies too.
While allergens are usually not serious as the conditions mentioned above, the sufferer of allergens can be in a great deal of discomfort if they are not protected against it. Furthermore, older people normally feel allergies worse than younger people.
To combat the effect of various allergens, especially hay fever, you might want to spend more time in doors, frequently hoover carpets to remove the allergens and shower more frequently to ensure there are no allergens on your person.
You should also not neglect medication. Many UK supermarkets offer serviceable antihistamines which should be explored. If the so called ‘over the counter’ medications do not do the trick, you should speak to your GP about something stronger which might be able to help you.
Exercise, But Do Not Overdo It
As previously alluded to, during hot weather you will not want to overexert yourself. But this does not mean you should stop exercising all together. With the weather being nicer, you should try and get out more and perform some fun and engaging exercises. But, please remember that in extreme heat, you might happen end up accidentally overexerting yourself.
Need Help With Personal Care this Summer?
If you need help with personal care in Shrewsbury or Telford this summer, please contact us. We are sure we will be able to help you this summer and beyond.