Turning
down the heat to save money could cost your health if you
are elderly
Newswise — With home
heating costs expected to soar this winter, millions of
Americans will be dialing down their heat to save money.
For most people,
dialing-down just means a slightly chilly home, but for the
elderly, it could bring serious health implications,
including hypothermia, and could even lead to additional
health risk for otherwise healthy people, says Lee A. Green,
M.D., MPH, associate professor in the Department of Family
Medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School.
“There’s both myth and
truth to the idea that living in a colder house can cause
health implications,” he says. “For most healthy adults and
children, it’s not a problem. However, extreme temperatures
can be harmful to babies, the elderly and even middle-aged
adults with chronic diseases.”
Health implications of
dialing down the heat
It only takes a slight drop in a home’s temperature to
impact the health of an elderly adult. As the body ages, it
produces less heat and it becomes more difficult to regulate
the body’s temperature.
So even a relatively mild
indoor temperature – just 60 degrees – can put elderly
adults at risk for hypothermia, especially if they are not
wearing warm clothing and not aware of the signs of
hypothermia.
“People think of
hypothermia as something that happens in the bitter cold and
blizzards. It actually doesn’t have to be very cold for a
person to get hypothermia,” says Green.
Hypothermia most often
occurs when the body’s temperature gradually drops from 98.6
degrees to below 97.5 degrees due to increased exposure to
cold. Unfortunately, the signs of hypothermia are subtle and
slow, making it especially difficult for elderly adults to
recognize.
Hypothermia can cause
dehydration, confusion and an irregular heart beat and, if
untreated, may result in a coma or even death. And people
taking medication are at an increased risk for dehydration
from hypothermia, notes Green.
To prevent hypothermia,
Green advises that older adults – especially those with
chronic diseases such as heart failure or emphysema and
those taking medications – to dress appropriately for the
temperature of their home. To stay warm, plan to wear layers
of clothing, even if you don’t feel cold.
Alternative home heat
heating
However, people planning to dial down the heat to save money
should use caution when looking for alternative means to
stay warm.
Woodstoves, fireplaces and
kerosene heaters may seem like a quick and inexpensive way
to keep a home warm in the winter, but the convenience may
come with risks.
“Every winter, we see
people who are injured by either a faulty woodstove or from
running kerosene or catalytic heaters in a small, enclosed
space without proper ventilation,” says Green. “All of these
problems are very predictable and preventable.”
If you plan to use a space
heater that uses any kind of fuel, Green suggests purchasing
a carbon monoxide detector for the room in which the heater
is being used to avoid injury.
Other cold weather
dangers: Snow blowers and shoveling
People should also use caution when venturing out into the
cold this winter to clear driveways and sidewalks of snow,
Green says.
Snow blowers make snow
removal easy, but they can do a great deal of harm if they
are not used properly. It’s important, Green says, to use
snow blowers on flat surfaces and not in areas where there
are steep slopes where the user could lose footing or
control of the machine.
And the most important
thing to remember: Keep your hands and feet away from the
blade of the snow blower. “If the snow blower jams,
completely turn off the machine and wait until all parts
have completely stopped moving. Even with the machine off,
parts may still rotate, so it is best to avoid using hands
to remove any objects from the machine,” says Green.
People also need to be
cautious if they plan to shovel snow, especially if they
have heart disease.
“Every winter, people
suffer heart attacks while shoveling heavy, wet snow. It’s
important to understand that if you’re not in good shape or
have heart disease, you should avoid shoveling heavy snow.
Don’t be too proud to hire the neighborhood kids to shovel
your walk,” advises Green.
For more information,
visit these web sites:
UMHS Health Topics A-Z: Hypothermia
http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/sma/sma_hypothrm_sma.htm
Centers for Disease
Control & Prevention: Winter Weather FAQs
http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/winter/faq.asp
Centers for Disease
Control & Prevention: Extreme Cold: A Prevention Guide to
Promote Your Personal Health and Safety
http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/winter/guide.asp
National Safe Kids USA: Is
Your Home Ready for the Home Heating Season?
http://www.usa.safekids.org/tier3_cd.cfm?folder_id=171&content_item_id=11350
American Heart
Association: Don't Let a Snow Forecast Also Forecast Your
Heart Attack
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3027990