The hazards that may affect senior citizens rise with the temperature during the summer months in central New York, says Dr. James Ciaccio, emergency physician and director of the senior emergency department at Upstate University Hospital.
"The difficulty for seniors is that they don't have the physical strength or the sensory abilities that a young person has," he says.
Sweat, or lack thereof, is one of the reasons why seniors are especially sensitive to the heat. The human body rids itself of excess heat by sweating, and older people don't sweat as much. Plus, many medications seniors take have side effects like reduced sweating. Learn what else puts seniors at risk in the summer months on this Sunday's show.
Also on this week's show: pediatrician Steven Blatt addresses summer safety for children, dermatologist Ramsay Farah explains how to choose the right sunscreen, and trauma surgeon Dr. Fahd Ali talks about preventing motorcycle injuries.