Keeping a Parent with Dementia Safe During a South Jersey Heat Wave

The hardest part of a heat wave, for a lot of the families we talk with, is that their parent does not feel it. A daughter in Marlton called us one July after she stopped by and found her mother in a closed-up house, sweater on, no fan running, insisting she was fine. She was not fine. She just could not tell anymore.

That is the thing to understand about dementia and heat. A person with dementia often cannot feel thirst the way they used to, cannot tell that a room has gotten dangerous, and may not think to turn on the air conditioning or take off a layer. So on a hot day, the job of staying safe falls to the people around them. Here is how to do it.

Why heat is more dangerous with dementia

Older bodies already handle heat poorly. The CDC explains that older adults do not adjust as well to sudden changes in temperature, are more likely to have a chronic health condition that changes how the body responds to heat, and are more likely to take medicines that affect the body’s ability to control its temperature or sweat. That last point catches families off guard. Some everyday prescriptions, including certain water pills and blood pressure and mood medicines, make a hot day harder on the body, so it is worth asking your parent’s doctor or pharmacist which ones matter when the temperature climbs.

Dementia stacks another problem on top. The same disease that affects memory also dulls the brain's read on the body. Someone with Alzheimer's, or what a doctor might call vascular or Lewy body dementia, may not register that they are hot, thirsty, or in trouble. They might put on a sweater in August. They might head out for a walk at noon and not find their way back. More than 7 million older Americans are living with Alzheimer’s, according to the Alzheimer’s Association, so a great many South Jersey families are managing exactly this each summer. If you have been watching a parent's forgetfulness that keeps getting worse, a heat wave is exactly the kind of day when that slip becomes a safety problem.

What heat trouble looks like

With dementia, the warning signs are easy to miss, because they can look like a bad dementia day. Watch for confusion that is suddenly worse than usual, flushed or dry skin, a headache, dizziness, or a parent who is quieter and less responsive than normal. In someone who cannot say "I feel sick," those changes are the message.

If the skin is hot and dry, if they are not making sense, or if they seem to be fading, treat it as an emergency. Get them somewhere cool, offer sips of water, put cool damp cloths on the neck and wrists, and call for help. Heat stroke moves fast in an older adult.

Simple ways to keep them cool

Most of what works is small and steady. Keep the air conditioning on, even when they say they do not need it. If there is no AC, a fan plus cool cloths helps, and so does moving them to the lowest, shadiest room. Close the curtains on the sunny side of the house in the morning.

Offer fluids on a schedule instead of waiting for them to ask, because they will not ask. Water, watered-down juice, popsicles, and fruit all count. Dress them in light, loose clothing and check what they put on, since a person with dementia may reach for the wrong layer. Save errands and walks for early morning or evening, and skip the hottest hours entirely.

One more that families forget: on a bad-heat day, a parent who still wanders is a real risk outdoors. Keep the car keys out of sight and make sure a neighbor knows to watch for them. The CDC's checklist for older adults in extreme heat is a good one to print and keep on the fridge.

How a caregiver helps when it is 95 degrees

This is where having someone in the home during the hottest part of the day matters. Our caregivers keep eyes on a parent when the heat is at its worst, offer drinks every little while, notice the early signs a worn-out family member might miss, and keep the day calm so the heat does not turn into a crisis. Our caregivers are trained in dementia care through Positive Pathways, so they know that a person who is agitated in a hot room may be telling you something with behavior instead of words.

The smart move on a heat wave is simple: make sure your parent is not alone during the hottest hours. That might be you, a neighbor, or one of our caregivers for a few afternoons. When care is set up, our nurse writes the plan and your Client Care Coordinator arranges the schedule, so the coverage lands on the days and hours that actually matter. Our compassionate Director of Nursing, Carol Feliciano, RN, keeps the plan current as a parent's needs change through the summer.

We will be straight with you about one thing. No caregiver watches a person every single second, and no plan removes all risk. What consistent care does is close the gaps, the closed-up house, the skipped drink, the noon walk, that turn a hot day into a hospital trip to Jefferson Cherry Hill.

If your family could use a hand getting through this stretch of summer, call Comfort Keepers of Cherry Hill at (856) 857-6120. We can talk through what a few afternoons of help would look like, and there is no obligation. If you are earlier in this and still sorting out dementia care at home, we are happy to walk you through the options for Alzheimer's and dementia care too.