Take the Hypothermia Quiz
Baby, it's cold outside! When winter weather arrives, you need to take extra precautions against hypothermia if you're an older adult. Test your knowledge of these cold facts from the National Institute on Aging.
1. Cold weather can be a problem for older adults because many seniors take medications that can interfere with the body's ability to regulate its temperature.
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Medications that increase the risk of accidental hypothermia include drugs used to treat anxiety, depression, or nausea, and some over-the-counter cold remedies. Ask your doctor how your medicines affect body heat.
2. Shivering is one way the body produces heat.
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Shivering increases muscle cell activity, which in turn produces heat.
3. Sleepiness and slow, slurred speech are two symptoms of hypothermia.
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Other symptoms include shallow breathing; weak pulse; low blood pressure; a change in behavior during cold weather or a change in the way a person looks; excess shivering or no shivering; stiffness in the arms or legs; chilly rooms or other signs that the person has been in a cold place; poor control over body movements or slow reactions.
4. The best way to find out if someone is suffering from hypothermia is to feel the person's forehead.
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You should use a thermometer. If the temperature appears to be below 96 degrees F (35.5 degrees C), or you can't read it on an oral thermometer, take the person's temperature again using a rectal thermometer for a more exact reading. If the thermometer still does not show the temperature or is below 96 degrees F, call for emergency help. The only way to tell accurately if a person has hypothermia is to use a special thermometer that can read temperatures below 94 degrees F (34 degrees C). Most hospitals have these thermometers.
5. If you suspect that someone has hypothermia and emergency help is not available right away, move the person to a warmer location, if possible, and wrap him or her in a warm blanket to stop further heat loss.
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You can also use your own body heat to keep the person warm. Keep the person in the horizontal position. Lie close to the victim, but be gentle and do not handle the person roughly. Rubbing the person's arms and legs, as many rescuers are tempted to do, can make the problem worse as it may cause cool blood that had pooled in the extremities to return to the circulation and cause a further drop in core temperature. That is why rewarming of the trunk should be attempted before rewarming of the extremities.
6. Hypothermia affects older people more often than younger people.
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Older people are at risk of hypothermia not only in cold weather, but in mildly cool temperatures as well. Older people may be vulnerable to hypothermia even when they live in nursing homes or group facilities. These institutions have to be careful when lowering temperatures, because patients who are already sick may have special difficulty keeping warm.
7. Some illnesses place a person at risk because they affect the way the body handles cold temperatures.
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Illnesses that may blunt the response to cold include slow thyroid (hypothyroidism) or other disorders of the body's hormone system; stroke or other disorders that cause paralysis and reduce awareness; severe arthritis, diabetes, Parkinson's disease, or other illnesses that limit activity; any condition that curbs the normal flow of blood; memory disorders.
8. Wind chill does not play a role in hypothermia.
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Wind chill refers to the fact that brisk winds cause more rapid heat loss than calmer weather. Remember to listen to the weather report before venturing out in cold weather. Weather forecasters often suggest, even when the temperature itself is not very low, that the wind chill factor is low enough for people to stay indoors.
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