NIA cautions people on Hyperthermia

Maryland, United States January 17: The National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has issued some cautions to help older people avoid hypothermia which can be deadly if not treated quickly.

Hypothermia occurs when a person's body temperature drops below normal and stays low for a prolonged period of time. With advancing age, the body's ability to endure long periods of exposure to cold is lowered. Older people are at higher risk for hypothermia because their body's response to cold might be diminished by certain illnesses such as diabetes and some medicines, including over-the-counter cold remedies. In addition, older adults may be less active and generate less body heat. As a result, they can develop hypothermia even after exposure to relatively mild cold weather or a small drop in temperature.

The best way to identify someone with hypothermia is to look for confusion or sleepiness, slowed or slurred speech, shivering or stiffness in the arms and legs, weak pulse, poor control over body movements or slow reactions. Check the temperature with thermometer and if the temperature is 96 degrees or lower, call 911 for emergency help.

The NIA advise hypothermic people to wear several layers of loose clothing when it is cold. The layers will trap warm air between them. Tight clothing can keep blood from flowing freely and lead to loss of body heat. They should wear a hat, scarf, gloves or mittens, and warm clothes while going outside in cold weather, because a significant amount of your body heat is lost through your head. Since, hands and feet are the first body parts to get cold, proper care should be taken to keep them warm. Make sure that your home is warm enough and set thermostat to at least 68 to 70 degrees. Even mildly cool homes with temperatures from 60 to 65 degrees can trigger hypothermia in older people.

Because heating costs are high, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has released funds to help low-income families pay their heating bills. For more information, contact the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (1-866-674-6327) or the Eldercare Locator (1-800-677-1116).