Beat the summer heat

The other day I was in town with mom and noticed the usual collection of people that had taken their dogs to town with them, including the inevitable sighting of a poor small dog locked in a car in the hot sun with the windows rolled up.

I don't understand why people feel a need to take their dogs to town when they know the dog will be left alone in the car for any length of time in the hot sun, but what posesses them to then roll the windows all up all the way and leave the poor thing in the car?

Many of you that have read my blog for a while know that I am a full-time caregiver to my parents, so it should not be surprising that my thoughts went to seniors left waiting outside stores in the hot sun. Whenever me and my mom have my dad with us and he wants to stay in the car, we make sure to check on him often, but there are other things that people tend not to think about when they have an elderly family member with them on extended trips around town. Here are some tips to make the day better for everyone.

Carry lots of water. Dehydration kills. It was the cause of a heart attack of my father while he was living in a rehabilitation place after his stroke. Keep plenty of water where it is easily reached and if your loved one has difficulty opening water bottles be sure that you open a bottle for them beore you go into the store.

Buy a 12 volt fan that can plug into your car cigarette lighter. They come in a variety of styles and can be adjusted to aim just right to keep things cool inside the car.

Park in the shade, but don't forget to go out occassionally and check to be sure that the car is still in the shade. If you can't park in the shade, try to posistion the car so that the seat that your loved one is sitting in is shaded as much as possible.

Consider buying a set of two way radios to let your loved one call you inside the store if they need you. My mom and I got a set of two way radios when my dad was in a retirement home for a brief time after his stroke and we could drive all the way across the small town we were in at the time and still hear him if he needed us.

And don't forget to consider the problems of returning to a hot car if your loved one goes into the store with you - the heat inside a car can reach 140 degrees or more in the summer. One way to keep your car cooler is with a small fan such as the Auto Cool Solar Car Fan. You've seen it on TV, I'm sure. A small fan that can slip into the window of your car and cools the inside by up to 30 degrees. That way when you go back out to the car it is much more comfortable to get in. I particularly like the fact that the fan is not going to be drawing on battery power, so you don't have to worry about being stranded with your loved one because of a drained battery.

Feel free to share your own tips for traveling with a senior and be sure to stay cool this summer, and don't forget that being a caregiver means more than just taking care of your loved one at home.