Prevention of heat-induced disorders frequently observed in elderly people living at home-Preparation of a preventive program based on a survey of the summertime water balance and daily activities and its effectiveness)

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The objectives of this 2-year study were to clarify the water balance, beverage intake behavior, and daily activities of elderly people and to develop a program for the prevention of heat-induced disorders in healthy elderly people. In 2003, we studied the water balance, physical activities, beverage intake behavior, and other aspects of life in elderly people and extracted factors that affect their water balance and beverage intake behavior. In 2004, on the basis of the data obtained in the previous year, we prepared a program and tentatively applied it. The following results were obtained.1.Healthy elderly people with no history of heat-induced disorders adjusted their lifestyles during midsummer by reducing their activities and ingesting food and beverages in quantities balanced with the activities. As for measures to cope with the heat, many elderly people frequently and deliberately drank tea or water by keeping their own drinking schedules. Not many of them avoided going out beca … More use of heat, but many of them wore hats or used parasols in going out.2.For supporting elderly people in drinking water, it is important to effectively incorporate beverage intake behavior in a program for the prevention of heat-induced disorders. Points in the program to promote effective beverage intake behavior are 1)providing correct knowledge about beverage intake, 2)making elderly people able to accurately estimate the necessary water intake from their own physical conditions, 3)encouraging them to schedule their beverage intake behavior to ensure sufficient water intake, and 4), in those who need support, having the carers sufficiently understand these matters.3.On the basis of 1 and 2 above, we gave lectures to healthy elderly people on the "prevention of heat-induced disorders" and published articles on desirable guidance concerning beverage intake in journals for co-medicals. The lectures and articles have not been sufficiently evaluated.Although the necessity of beverage intake and methods for supporting it have been clarified in general, further observation is needed to evaluate whether our tentative program promotes the actual beverage intake behavior. Less