Doctor: Seniors need special attention in heat

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Senior citizens are urged to take special precautions during the heat baking the state.

Dr. Christian Davis Furman, a doctor at the University of Louisville, said people who are 65 and older need special attention as temperatures soar. Furman, who is vice chairman for geriatric medicine at U of L, urged seniors and their caregivers to take special precautions to avoid heat-related illnesses.

Furman said older adults have a hard time sensing when they are getting dehydrated. They also have fewer sweat glands, so there's a greater chance they can get overheated because they don't sweat as much. So it's important that they drink extra fluids on hot days.

According to the American Red Cross, excessive heat has caused more deaths than all other weather events in recent years.

Kentucky is in the grips of a heat wave, sending temperatures near or above 100 degrees.