National Safety Month is a good time to take a closer look at your mom’s habits in the warmer summer months. If she goes outside for walks or to work in her gardens, summer safety is essential. Make sure she knows and follows these summer safety tips.

Make Sure Someone Knows Where She Is

Before she goes off on a walk or outside, she needs to tell someone where she’s going. She should also estimate how long she’ll be outside. If she hasn’t returned on time, that person can go check to make sure she’s okay.

Your mom should also carry a cellphone. If she runs into problems, she’ll be able to call. A medic alert system with GPS also helps.

Stay Hydrated

When it’s hot, your mom will sweat more. She needs to stay hydrated. The general rule for women is 2.2 liters. If she’s sweating more, she needs to increase it. Foods will make up some of the amount of water she takes in, but she still needs to drink water or other beverages throughout the day.

Watch for Insects

Some insects can cause serious illness or injury. If your mom is in the garden, she should wear gloves to protect against insect bites. She should keep an eye on hornets or wasps that build nests in her trees, under her deck, or on the eaves of her house. If there are any, they need to be removed.

If she’s going outside in the woods or long grass, an insect repellent with DEET is good at keeping ticks away. She needs to check herself for ticks when she comes inside. If she’s been in the gardens or walking through fields or forest paths, she should take a shower to remove any ticks that may be in her hair or on her body.

Wear Sunscreen

Any time your mom is going to be outside in the sun, she needs to put on sunscreen. She needs a broad-spectrum sunscreen to protect against UVA and UVB rays. The SPF should be at least 30.

To properly apply sunscreen, she needs to apply it 15 minutes before she goes outside. The amount of sunscreen she uses should be enough to fill a shot glass. If she’s not using that much, she’s not using the right amount.

Is it time to hire elder care services? Instead of leaving your mom alone while you’re at work or when you live hours away, she could have caregivers available to help her with household chores, drive her to stores and local businesses, and help her with home organization. Call to learn more from an expert in elder care.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Elder Care in San Mateo, CA, contact the friendly staff at Home Care Professionals today.
Call (866)-940-4855

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andy@hcprosonline.com

CEO at HomeCare Professionals

Andy Howardis a Bay Area Native who holds a BA in Political Science (University of Colorado at Boulder, ’97). After college Andy worked in the surging tech industry.His Grandmother however, would suffer a significant decline in health and ultimately needed in-home care. The experience of a loved one depending on outside help to age in place proved to be pivotal for Andy as he left the tech industry in 2002 for an opportunity in the home care world with a large provider. After having success in home care, but being frustrated by corporate constraints Andy founded HomeCare Professionals in 2005.He methodically built the company one client at a time by focusing on hiring quality caregivers to ensure positive outcomes. Currently Andy serves as the CEO of HomeCare Professionals and is also highly active in the non-profit organization California Association of Health Services at Home (CAHSAH) which advocates for a higher standard of in-home care for those who wish to remain living at home in California.

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