Older people feel thirst less and cool down slower. The Health Ministry's heat advice, turned into a checklist for your parent's afternoons
The Pushpa team · 4 sourcesEvery summer, an afternoon in Nagpur or Delhi can cross 44°. For a parent in their seventies that is not just uncomfortable. The US CDC notes that older adults don't adjust as well as younger people to sudden changes in temperature, are more likely to have a condition that changes how the body handles heat, and more likely to take medicines that affect sweating
India's National Centre for Disease Control publishes a heatwave advisory every year. Most of it fits on a sticky note by her phone
The advisory is direct about it: older or sick people living alone should be checked on daily. The CDC suggests at least twice a day during a heatwave. From far away, that means agreeing who calls at noon and who calls in the evening, and who nearby can go round if nobody gets an answer
Heat exhaustion usually settles if she can cool down within 30 minutes, says the NHS. If she is confused, unconscious or has stopped sweating, call 112 straight away and cool her while you wait
How Pushpa helpsOn hot days Pushpa's evening call asks how much she drank and whether she stayed in through the afternoon, and the family sees it in the morning report. If she sounds confused or unwell, the family is told straight away
General information, not medical advice. In an emergency in India, call 112
Report sent to the family
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