Beating the heat can be tough for seniors

One hundred-degree days mean that doctors at local hospitals are on alert for heat related illnesses, especially with seniors.

“Things like heat exhaustion and dehydration are the primary things you see,” said Dr. Andy Garrity, an emergency room physician at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center. “Seniors are more vulnerable because they have so little reserve with regard to hydration status and their cardio function.”

Garrity says it’s important for people to check on their neighbors, especially if they don’t have air-conditioning. “Make sure they’re taken care of, and make sure they’re not in a home that’s extremely warm,” said Garrity.

Shirley Nelson of Idaho Falls is one of those seniors who doesn’t have air-conditioning. Despite that, she and several others who don’t have AC have small creative ways to stay cool. “I don’t turn the stove on,” said Nelson. “If I don’t microwave in the summer, I don’t cook. Because I don’t turn my stove on when it’s so hot.”

“With my fan, if you blow your air over a bowl of ice, it really cools your air down,” said Avis Simon, of Idaho Falls and doesn’t have air-conditioning.