Hydration is crucial for people of all ages during times of excessive, triple-digit heat. However, this recent wave of excessive heat was too much for one elderly woman in Peoria, who died after she walked out of her senior care facility there.
Here in Tucson, one senior community called Fellowship Square is doing what it can to make sure all residents have easy access to water, to make sure they're always hydrated. It's an independent and assisted living facility, home to about 600 people, with an average resident age of 86.
Jo Gruver is one of those residents. She's no stranger to the Arizona summer heat, but admits the first few weeks are usually a rude awakening.
"You have to kind of work into it at the very beginning, regardless," she said.
She stressed the importance of hydration for children, adults, and seniors. However, at her age, she thinks staying hydrated needs to be a constant and conscious effort.
"Your body is older, so don't make it have to work for the water," Gruver said. "Be sure that you take care of it just like you would on a diet, or anything else, so that you don't run into trouble."
Excessive heat continues...how one community of seniors is making sure everyone drinks enough water -- tonight at 10. @kgun9 #Heat #AZwx pic.twitter.com/I9VDTS70Sc
— Max Darrow (@MaxDarrowTV) June 24, 2017
That's where the management at Fellowship Square comes in. They've created sixteen "hydration stations," strategically placed throughout the complex so that all residents can have easy access to water throughout the day.
"We wanted to make sure that everyone could get water anywhere they went," activities director Andrea Ray said.
She explained a resident got dehydrated at a Memorial Day picnic there and passed out. In her eyes, it is something that is preventable, and she doesn't want to see it happen again.
"We don't want to see them getting sick," Ray said. "We definitely don't want to see them passing out from something that we can prevent, and that's why we're so diligent about pushing the water."
Resident Tia Nead appreciates the fact that the management has the "hydration stations" in most common areas throughout the complex.
"It's very important, so you don't get dehydrated," Nead said. "Fellowhship Square is out for each and every person that lives here."
