Symptoms of Heat Exhaustion

When we’re freezing in the winter, we dream of warm summer days, but as the “dog days of summer” approach (or are upon us), another threat to our seniors looms nearby – heat exhaustion.

Just as it’s essential to protect your aging parents from hypothermia and frostbite in the bitter cold, it’s also essential to watch the summer villain of heat exhaustion.

Heat exhaustion happens when a person’s body loses excessive water and salt due to sweating in high temperatures. It is more likely to happen to the elderly and those suffering from high blood pressure. So, if your parent suffers from high blood pressure, they could likely become a victim of heat exhaustion. Luckily, if you have an Elder Care Professional, they are trained in spotting it early and, even better, how to prevent it, but to be safe, here’s a review of the symptoms. If you see your parent having any of these symptoms, acting immediately is essential.

The symptoms of heat exhaustion include:

Headache
Nausea
Dizziness
Weakness
Irritability
Thirst
Heavy sweating
Elevated body temperature
Decreased urine output

For many of these symptoms, it’ll be necessary for your elderly parent to communicate them with you, but a good start is to ask questions. Either you or your Elder Care Provider can make sure on an outing on a sunny, hot summer day to continually check in with your parent by asking several questions. And remember, it’s not all about asking if they are thirsty.

Let’s look at some questions you can ask.

How is your energy? Do you need to rest?
How is your body feeling? Do you have a headache, or are you feeling dizzy?
How are you managing the heat? Are you feeling overwhelmingly hot, or are you sweating a lot?
Do you need to go to the bathroom? (if they’re not going at all, this could be a symptom of heat exhaustion)

Of course, you can also observe some of these symptoms as well. Find your elderly parent is getting very irritable or is having a more challenging time than normal maintaining her balance. Getting her into someplace cool and offering some water might be a good idea. Many people don’t realize that heat exhaustion can affect them mentally and physically and will be surprised by how much better they feel once they get out of the heat.

If your parent doesn’t start to feel better after being taken out of the heat and given plenty of cool water, you will want to continue to observe her and ensure she isn’t suffering from heat stroke, which can be deadly. If you think this is possible, call 911 immediately and work with your Elder Care Provider or other family members to cool your parent down immediately by removing outer clothing and using cool clothes until help arrives.