LOUISVILLE, KY - A doctor at the University of Louisville says people who are 65 and older need special attention as temperatures soar.
 
Christian Davis Furman says the elderly and their care givers should take special precautions to avoid heat-related illnesses.
 
Furman says 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.
 
Furman is vice chairman for geriatric medicine at U of L.

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.