Here in North Carolina, we’ve had an incredibly hot summer already, and heat-related incidents are a leading environmental threat to older adults. It is estimated that seniors experience nearly 235,000 heat-related illnesses and exacerbations each summer, ranging from dehydration and heat exhaustion to life-threatening heat stroke. In fact, people over age 60 account for more than 80% of all annual heat-related fatalities in the United States.
Recently, the National Institute on Aging (NIA) renewed its warning to seniors about hot-weather risks. Many older adults don’t realize their bodies respond differently to heat than they did decades earlier. Here’s what you need to know about this warning, plus what you can do to prevent heat-related illnesses.
