Senior Citizens At Increased Risk for Dehydration During Upcoming Heat Wave

It’s no secret that as we get older, our bodies become less efficient.

For seniors, this means they are more likely to get dehydrated over the next few days.

Warm weather is something that many people ask for.

But it’s not often that temperatures reach as high as they will later this week.

On Wednesday and Thursday, temperatures are expected to reach nearly 100 degrees, providing concerns for dehydration.

“Everyone is equally susceptible to dehydration, but seniors can be overly susceptible,” said Mark Minette, the Health and fitness Club Director at Touchmark Health and Fitness Club.

Senior citizens are more likely to take more medications, which poses an increased risk of sweating more.

A person’s sense of thirst and kidney function also decreases with age, providing additional risks for the older population.

Keeping your workouts inside can reduce your risk of dehydration. But medical professionals say that preventing it is a lot easier than treating it.

There’s a lot of different things you can do as a precaution,” Minette said. “Wear light clothing that’s loose fitting, wear a hat, hydrate before during and after…”

And even though many of us beg for the sun in the winter, some just aren’t feeling it.

“I’m kind of a cold person. I like the winters, because you can dress for the cold and if you dress for the heat you’d end up in jail,” said Duane Lora of West Fargo.

Minette also says that if even if you aren’t thirsty, you may want to drink water.

Once you are thirsty, you could be well on your way to dehydration.