Roasting in hot houses, elderly turning irritable

Hyderabad: An increasing number of elderly are now approaching doctors with complaints of heat exhaustion, weakness and fevers due to the unbearable heat. And they’re not even stepping out of their homes.

Almost every day, the out-patient departments at city hospitals are seeing at least 10 elderly citizens who are coming in with complaints of exhaustion and uneasiness after staying within closed doors for long.

Dr Rahul Aggarwal, senior general physician, says, “Senior citizens sweat less and the heat-bearing mechanism in the body is reduced due to age. They feel uneasy and rising temperatures tend to make them irritable. Those who are suffering from diabetes have to take extra care as they tend to develop rashes due to extreme heat.”

Also, with most of them sitting inside closed doors inside the homes, ventilation is limited. Dr Gopi Krishna, a general physician, said, “Due to the hot air in the afternoons, most of them keep their doors and windows shut. As there is no proper ventilation in rooms and since fan or coolers emit heat due to  continuous running, the heat creates uneasiness among the elderly.”

Several elderly citizens who have issues in terms of movement or require help have been coming in for  care and treatment with complaints of dehydration.
Either the care-giver is negligent and forgets to keep sufficient water for them or they are not alert enough to drink water regularly, according to doctors.

The neural thermostat in the brain degenerates with age due to which elderly citizens are not able to bear the scorching heat, experts added.