Preventing Heat Stress

Keeping your living areas at the right temperature is critical, especially in the summer months, to help prevent heat stress. Northwood Intouch has a Temperature Extremes Sensor that was created to send an alert when an area is too hot, too cold, or changing temperatures too rapidly. Seniors are especially prone to heat stress for a few different reasons:

• A senior’s body response to heat can be altered due to a chronic medical condition.
• Elderly people aren’t able to adjust to sudden temperature changes like young people.
• The chances are greater that they take prescription medication that impairs their body’s ability to regulate its temperature or inhibits perspiration, our body’s way of cooling down naturally.

The sensor can send alerts to the base unit when temperatures reaches 35˚C or higher for more than two minutes or if the temperature in the room rises by 1°C per minute over a 30-minute period or more than 3°C per minute over a five-minute period.

In the summer months, heat stroke and heat exhaustion are quite common, heat stroke being the more severe of the two. Drinking cool water, staying in air conditioned spaces, avoiding strenuous activities, wearing light clothing, and rest can all help prevent heat-related stress.

What does Heat Stroke look like?

• A high body temperature, above 103
• Red, hot, and dry skin with no sweating
• Rapid, strong pulse
• Throbbing headache
• Dizziness
• Nausea

What does Heat Exhaustion look like?

• Heavy sweating
• Paleness
• Muscle cramps
• Tiredness
• Weakness
• Dizziness
• Headache
• Nausea or vomiting
• Fainting
• Skin may be cool and moist
• Pulse rate: fast and weak
• Breathing: fast and shallow