Elderly and very high summer heat (inherit, hubby, Florida, place)

[in_newengland]

Re coconut water--CVS sells plain coconut water and also coconut-pineapple water--and it goes on sale every so often. I always read labels and I don't remember anything bad junk in there.

I can't drink V-8 although I love the taste. I think it must have some additive that makes me sick or maybe it's just too high in sodium.

Another nice drink is ice water with lemon in it. Just plain ice water, you can either squeeze a real lemon into it or be lazy like me and use the juice from the plastic lemon. Then, so that you don't load up on sugar, add some Truvia (natural sweetener that you can buy in the grocery store). I add a tiny bit of real sugar just to make sure I get the truly sweet taste.

BTW, I started making ice cream using Truvia as a sweetener and can't even tell the difference. So far they haven't found any negative effects from it--it's from a plant, not some synthetic chemical.

[Escort Rider]

Originally Posted by LibraGirl123

My parents are in their mid-80s (Depression babies) and they don't turn on their air conditioner unless absolutely necessary. When they go to bed they turn it off, even if it's still stinkin' hot (they do have a ceiling fan over their bed). Reason? They're keeping an eye on the electric bill.

You didn't state whether your parents' financial situation justifies their pinching of pennies, but some people in their generation (like my mother) will do so even though the need for it hasn't been there for decades. Therefore, some old folks could be putting themselves in danger of hyperthermia (overheating) out of a misplaced paranoia about the electric bill.

[TFW46]

Originally Posted by Escort Rider

some old folks could be putting themselves in danger of hyperthermia (overheating) out of a misplaced paranoia about the electric bill.

Good idea.

And adult children who live in different cities than their elderly parents should probably check on various electrical plans in their parents' area every year -- to ensure that their parents are getting the best deal available. Many elderly just stay with the same energy provider forever and never check to see if that company, or others, offer cheaper plans annually.

[texdav]

Anyone who has served in the military can tell you that the most dangeropus climate in heat is a dry climate and will be familar with what is called the wet bulb which can cause trianing in dry climates to stop even as low as 89 deagrees.The idea is to hydrate and not get to state of starting dehydraiuon. Once it starts in a dry cliamte the body temeprature can soar quckly and then heat fatigue and even heat stroke can follow fast.Dry heat is very dangerous especailly to elderly.

[LibraGirl123]

Originally Posted by Escort Rider

You didn't state whether your parents' financial situation justifies their pinching of pennies, but some people in their generation (like my mother) will do so even though the need for it hasn't been there for decades. Therefore, some old folks could be putting themselves in danger of hyperthermia (overheating) out of a misplaced paranoia about the electric bill.

Due to their frugal nature over the years, they're in a comfortable retirement financial situation. After much nagging by me and my siblings, and a fleeting incident where my mother was feeling light-headed, my Dad broke down and turned the AC unit on in the morning during the heatwave.

[TuborgP]

I realize this isn't practical for everyone but advice we got when moving south was to buy a house with dual temperature zones and multiple heat pumps/AC etc. That way if one goes down extreme weather you still have the other living area to survive in. We were also advised to get a gas fire place not just for atmosphere but also as a back up heat source. Fortunately we have one up and down and the one down does a better job heating the upstairs. Ceiling fans if possible will help keep the air moving against your skin and help improve your comfort level.

[in_newengland]

This may sound dumb but I noticed these past few days that we weren't drinking enough water and there's a heat wave going on. I took some frozen punch and made some popsicles--it makes it fun and pleasant to get some fluids into you. Every time you open the freezer you see the colorful popsicles and you want one--or two. It helps.

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by LibraGirl123

Due to their frugal nature over the years, they're in a comfortable retirement financial situation. After much nagging by me and my siblings, and a fleeting incident where my mother was feeling light-headed, my Dad broke down and turned the AC unit on in the morning during the heatwave.

My in-laws were like your folks. And we don't have any qualms using part of our nice inheritance from them to keep our house temps at reasonable levels and stay comfortable. What a pity. We always hated going to visit them in the summer because my FIL set the A/C at about 85 .

Note that I think it is actually more energy efficient (at least in Florida) to keep the house at a reasonable temp all the time than allowing the house to get really hot and humid and then trying to cool it. Not to mention that high humidity levels can cause problems with mold/mildew - etc. I remember when we bought our last condo in Miami. It hadn't been lived in (was new). It took the A/C almost 2 days to cool the place down and dry it out. Robyn

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Escort Rider

You didn't state whether your parents' financial situation justifies their pinching of pennies, but some people in their generation (like my mother) will do so even though the need for it hasn't been there for decades. Therefore, some old folks could be putting themselves in danger of hyperthermia (overheating) out of a misplaced paranoia about the electric bill.

I think we see this all too often, sometimes it is actually due to a shortage of funds and older people not wanting to ask for govenment assistance for anything. They were raised to stand on their own 2 legs. Others are just plain too frugal to pay the cost of A/C. To them, a $100 a month bill is like buying gold. They remember when $25 was a lot of money. It is like eating out today (I have to admit hubby and I fall into this catagory) $20 plus for a meal per person seems so expensive, we still remember when a decent steak at a place like Outback was $5 or $7.00. I don't mean Outback itself, but that type of restaurant.

Nita

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by in_newengland

This may sound dumb but I noticed these past few days that we weren't drinking enough water and there's a heat wave going on. I took some frozen punch and made some popsicles--it makes it fun and pleasant to get some fluids into you. Every time you open the freezer you see the colorful popsicles and you want one--or two. It helps.

that is a great idea. I know we can't keep ice even in our glasses, it melts in 5 minutes or less. Well, the last few days have been a little better, but that 3 week stretch was awful and now we are hearing it is coming back in a few days.k I might try lemon or limeade, we love them both....