The older you are the less your ability to detect changes in temperature which may put you in a very dangerous situation with today’s extreme warm or cold weather. As we get older the skin tends to degrade and lose elasticity with the sensory cells either getting less sensitive to the temperature or dying off all together. Our skin is under a continuous regenerative state that at a certain age slows making it quite stiff and prone to breakage. Having people to watch and monitor elderly people is vital for the health of such elderly folks like the case of the war veteran who dies right after the electrical company installed a current limiter at the outside meter tripped leaving him to die a slow and painful cold death that caused much uproar.
Areas that are experiencing extreme weather episodes have put up call-centers that keep tabs and have people such as law enforcement and health workers checking up on them at regular intervals to ensure their health and proper care. Dedicated emergency lines have also been added to take calls from tagged elderly residents so they have direct links to emergency workers for immediate dispatch. A respect for cold and warm is vital for health in the elderly so they can properly keep up with rapidly changing climate.