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Show lypofhoriaiQ-Q qoieEi tJoofli The elderly man's heating bill was getting higher each month. So in order to save money and energy, he followed fol-lowed the advice of many government officials and lowered his home thermostat. thermo-stat. Situations like this are becoming more and more common as home heating costs continue to soar. And while the elderly man might save a few dollars, he may also be unknowingly placing his life in danger. As people age, their bodies begin to lose their ability to maintain their temperature as well as to shiver. Those losses result in many instances when an elderly person doesn't realize his body temperature has been lowered along with the thermostat. ther-mostat. When this loss of body heat results in a temperature tempera-ture of 95 degrees or less, the condition becomes known as hypothermia - a condition condi-tion difficult to se'.f-diagnose. se'.f-diagnose. Dis -orientation is a major reaction, along with shallow breathing, loss of circulation followed by coma and death. Many hypothermia victims can be found having no apparent ap-parent heart beat or breathing breath-ing action. However, this does not necessarily , mean the person is dead. Many can still be. brought to a hospital hos-pital and resuscitated without with-out suffering longlasting side effects. Therefore the rule of thumb when treating such patients is 'Nobody is considered con-sidered dead until you warm them up'. If you find such a person, 1 quickly wrap them in a warm blanket or place them in a warm bath. If the temperature temper-ature is less than 90 degrees take them to a hospital. Hypothermia can stike in temperatures as warm as 40 or 50 degrees. All that's required is damp clothing and a slight wind. To Safeguard against hypothermia, hy-pothermia, dress warmly, carry plenty of fluids and high caloric foods - take a survival kit containing a change of clothing, material to build a small fire and a body heat reflective blanket. |
