Heat waves aren’t something that I worried about before when looking after Jim.
One, his tropical ancestry makes it easier for him to deal with heat than me. And two, we rarely get more than a couple of days a year where temperatures skyrocket past the mid 30s (90s in Fahrenheit)
Since Saturday, it’s been in the 40s (105*F). The extreme heat is exhausting and presents all sorts of challenges when caring for someone with dementia.
Jim doesn’t remember we’re having a heat wave. He’s constantly opening the back door as is our habit on bright sunny days. He doesn’t notice that when he does, the heat from our unsheltered deck comes pouring through the open screen.
He hasn’t switched to his summer clothes, so he still puts on a long sleeve dress shirt and heavy cotton pants.
He scoffs at me trying to get him to drink more liquids. He dislikes plain water at the best of times, so I’ve resorted to bribing him with diet sodas, popsicles and cut up fruit (esp watermelon). Not the best way to manage his diabetes but the risk of heat exhaustion/stroke is more dangerous over the next few days.
I am extremely thankful we have an air conditioner. I have it set to click on when the house reaches 28. Yesterday it started running at 10am. Today, we reached 29 before 8am (it’s already 31*C outside). He normally doesn’t feel the heat, but his body is reacting (diarrhea – whee). Which means it’s even more important for me to keep him hydrated.
If he gets too hot, I have my rice bag (fill a ziploc with rice or beans if you don’t have a cloth bag) in the freezer. Running it lightly over the back of his neck or under his feet will help to cool him core temperature. Even wrapped in an extra towel, these bags are too cold to leave against an older person’s skin for long. I’ve found the lingering cold can increase the chance of sore tight muscles.
Tomorrow, our heat wave breaks and temperatures get back to a cooler 29-30*C for the rest of the week. I’m a little frightened because this is our second spike in temperatures so far this year and it’s still only June.
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