With the cold snap comes the horror stories of seniors being found frozen in their homes, or burned to death when they try to heat their homes with light bulbs and open fires.
It’s time to watch for hypothermia, the lowering of the body temperature which is especially dangerous to older people who live alone and may be turning down their heat to save money. While temperatures in the teens are dangerous enough, temperatures under 65 degrees can be deadly for seniors.
“While we’re all familiar with the dangers of senior citizens falling on ice, there are even greater risks for seniors when the weather gets cold that most of us don’t think of, such as hypothermia and dehydration, says Peter Ross, founder and CEO of  Senior Helpers, an organization of in-home caregivers.  “Hypothermia and dehydration are so dangerous because even mild cold temperatures can cause problems for the elderly. That’s why if you can’t check up on your elderly loved one, hire someone who can. ”
Hypothermia sets in when the body temperature begins to drop below 98.6 degrees because the air temperature is so cold. Hypothermia kills about 600 Americans a year, half of whom are 65 or older, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.