BAY COUNTY, Fla ( WMBB )- Forecasted weather could be cold enough to turn deadly to people who don’t have heat, or those living on the streets.
In Florida alone, over 580,000 people are living with Alzheimer’s. Officials with the Alzheimer’s Association say the best way to prevent your loved one from wandering outdoors is to make sure they are as warm as possible.
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“A lot of times wandering is because of an unmet need. Sometimes it may be because of someone being disoriented. So the thing that you can do to help prevent that and hopefully avoid those or those types of things is to make sure that person is comfortable and make sure that their needs are met.” Program Director Andre Hall said.
Professionals say there can be multiple factors that impact someone’s ability to handle the cold weather.
“I think one of the biggest challenges is the housing that many of them live in. Some are older houses…they’re just not adequately insulated. The heating systems are not adequate. I think another challenge is the medications that they’re taking and their general health…Sometimes they’ve been able to weather the cold easier. And when they’re having experiencing health problems or taking medications that have a different conditions with their health, they may become more susceptible to the cold than they realize.” Council on Aging Director Beth Coulliette said.