O&M Specialists are
COOL!
by Dona Sauerburger, COMS
July 1999 Newsletter
Since our temperatures reached 103
degrees F. this month, you might enjoy some of the great information that was shared
when Liz Camerlin asked the OandM listserv for ideas to stay cool while
teaching O&M in the summer heat.
The ideas in this article were shared by Kartar Khalsa, Judy Morris,
Dona Sauerburger, and Kathy Zelaya.
Clothing
[As
you might expect when all the contributors are all women, these ideas are for
female O&Mers -- sorry, guys! We’d
love to print your ideas if you’ll send them in!]
One O&Mer liked to keep cool with
long cotton pants and short sleeve shirt.
Another enthused about long flowing skirts under a loose cotton T‑shirt,
saying it made her feel coolest yet looked professional. Some wear working shoes to protect the feet,
others wear sandals, using powder to keep them dry. One O&Mer keeps cool while driving by taking off her shoes and
hanging her left leg out the window.
Dehydration
One O&Mer suffered for years with
headaches and nausea whenever she worked in the heat until she discovered that
those were symptoms of dehydration.
Taking in enough fluids to replace the fluids we lose in sweat is the
single most important factor in maintaining comfort and safety under these
conditions.
To avoid these problems, be sure to drink
plenty of water before and after each lesson, and encourage your
students to do the same.
Most people begin outdoor activities with
a less than full fluid volume in their body. They don’t realize that thirst is
not a good guide to the quantity of water needed by the body -- the older an
individual is, the greater the water deficit must be before that individual
becomes thirsty.
The best guide to adequate fluid intake
is adequate urine production. If your
urine is dark, you are not drinking enough. If you are drinking what you
consider to be adequate, but are not urinating frequently, you are still not
providing your body with adequate fluids.
The guidelines are to drink at least 8‑12
ounces of fluid before you go outdoors. Drink every 20‑30 minutes while
you are outdoors, even when you are not thirsty. Drink enough to urinate every
1‑2 hours.
Drinks
One contributor said that SPORTea is a
great drink for fending off the effects of the heat. It is caffeine‑free
and contains ginsing, ginger, Vitamin C and electrolytes. It can be obtained in
health food stores and served iced with a sweetener; it is also served in
Gloria Jean’s Coffee Bean Stores.
Another good drink is Pedialyte (we’re
not sure of the spelling). It
assimilates easily into the bloodstream and is okay for adults and kids.
Other
hints:
o use an umbrella or parasol
to shade from the sun -- it is amazing how much this reduces the effect of the
heat!
o keep the outside sessions
short, with cool breaks between. For
example work outside for 20-40 minutes, then work or relax in cool indoors and
drink fluids before going back outside.
o have sessions early in the
morning (the hottest time of the day seems to be around 2-3 o’clock; try to
have all outdoor sessions finished before noon).
o plan your vacation or
report-writing sessions for the hottest times of the summer!
Heat
exhaustion and heat stroke
We all need to be alert to the symptoms
and danger of heat exhaustion. One
O&Mer was having a lesson around 9 o’clock in a morning in May. Her student was a 9-year-old girl who was
overweight and whose gait and pace were laborious due to her cerebral
palsy. It was only 80 degrees, but the
child overdid it in the 4 blocks they walked and suffered heat exhaustion.
The child was red in the face, shaky and
weak, and running a temperature of 104 by the time they got to the nurse's
office. She recovered quickly with rest and water, but the nurse felt it best
to send her home. The O&Mer had
worked with her for several months but was not aware of her intolerance for the
heat.
Heat exhaustion is characterized by an
overwhelming feeling of tiredness, often accompanied by headache and nausea.
Treatment consists of rehydration with fluids. It may be helpful to provide
juices along with plain water to replace lost salts.
Heat exhaustion typically occurs when
people exercise heavily or work in a hot, humid place where body fluids are
lost through heavy sweating. Blood flow to the skin increases, causing blood
flow to decrease to the vital organs. This results in a form of mild shock. If
not treated, the victim may suffer heat stroke.
Heat strokes are life‑threatening.
The victim’s temperature control system, which produces sweating to cool the
body, stops working. The body temperature can rise so high that brain damage
and death may result if the body is not cooled quickly.
Symptoms of heat stroke include a fever
as high as 105 degrees Fahrenheit with hot dry skin, mental confusion and
convulsions. Other signs include rapid pulse and heartbeat, dilated pupils,
rapid and shallow breathing, either elevated or lowered blood pressure and
unconsciousness.
Heatstroke victims require immediate
medical attention or hospitalization. If you are assisting someone with
symptoms of heatstroke, experts advise that you call for help, and make an
effort to lower the victim’s body temperature as quickly as possible while you
are waiting.
Suggestions
from the Red Cross:
The American Red Cross gives this advice
for heat waves, according to the Microsoft NBC Home page:
o slow down. If you must
engage in strenuous activity, do so during the coolest part of the day —
usually in the morning between 4:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m.
o wear lightweight, light‑colored
clothing.
o drink plenty of water
regularly and often. Avoid alcohol and
caffeinated beverages, which can be dehydrating.
o eat small meals, and eat
more often.
People
at risk during the heat are people who:
o are elderly
o have chronic heart disease
and other medical conditions
o have chronic illness such as
kidney or lung disease
o are overweight
o are under the influence of
drugs or alcohol
o take any of these
medications: antipsychotics, tranquilizers, tricyclic antidepressants, sedating
antihistamines, anti‑parkinsonian agents, over‑the‑counter
sleeping pills or drugs for motion sickness