Now’s the time for hypothermia prevention
Watch your elderly patients
This winter, private duty home care agencies should pay close attention to assessing and preventing hypothermia, especially in older adults. Hypothermia is a preventable and treatable condition in which the body temperature drops below 95 degrees Fahrenheit.
"Prevention is the best medicine," says Mary Iannaccone, RN, a clinical director for Connecticut Community Care Inc., a statewide nonprofit, long-term care case management agency based in Bristol, CT. "It’s important to practice prevention methods, particularly in areas with little cold weather."
In order to promote prevention efforts, home caregivers should assess clients’ access to basic needs such as heat, food, and liquids. In addition, energy efficiency helps reduce costs and increase humidity and air circulation in the residence. Care providers should also teach and warn patients about hypothermia, its causes, signs, side effects, and prevention.
Condition can be dangerous for elderly
Hypothermia is potentially life-threatening because older adults’ senses have dulled over time, and they may not even know that they are suffering from subnormal body temperatures. Even though hypothermic indicators such as confusion and irritability, as well as medical problems, such as frost bite and poor blood circulation occur, the unaware patient might ignore the signs. Ultimately the patient could become unconscious, which could lead to death.
To avoid these health risks, Iannaccone and Patricia A. McDermot, compliance officer/ health educator at Northern Homecare based in Pittsburgh, offer these prevention tips to private duty care providers:
• Maintain good nutrition in patients to promote healthy red blood cells.
• Make sure they take in adequate fluids to avoid dehydration.
• Ensure that they stay dry to retain body heat.
• Dress patients in several layers of loose clothing to trap heat around the body.
• Avoid exposing patients to excessive cold, making sure to cover head, neck, hands, and feet if patient must go out.
• Tell patients to avoid alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine which have no therapeutic effect and may destroy defense mechanisms.
• Maintain sufficient humidity in the home to promote hydrated skin and good circulation.
While prevention is the key, hypothermia may manage to afflict some home care patients. There are some initial signs that caregivers and patients can watch for to decrease the likelihood of further damage. The main signals are irritability, shivering, and difficulty speaking, which Iannaccone warns can be confused with signs of other ailments.
Some medical conditions could encourage the onset of hypothermia. Consequently, patients with uncontrolled diarrhea and similar pathological diseases that could contribute to hypothermia should be closely watched, adds McDermot. Moreover, natural skin changes may complicate the problem.
"As we age, the layers of our skin decrease and flatten," she says. "These layers contain oil and fatty tissues especially important on our extremities, which help prevent hypothermia."
Quick action is essential
If warning signs are detected, the most important factor is to warm the person quickly, but carefully.
"Don’t place the person in a hot shower or bath, and don’t rub any of their body parts because the patient’s sensation to hot, cold, and pain may be dulled. Consequently, the person may be burned without knowing it," Iannaccone explains. Warm blankets and quilts should be used, while getting medical assistance immediately.
[For more information on hypothermia and older adults, call Connecticut Community Care at (800) 654-2183.]
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