Risks lessened with awareness, swimming lessons
By Autumn Gray
Summer is almost here. Pools, lakes and beaches will be packed. Many children will be enrolling in swimming lessons, but many adults should be, too, as water hazards do not age discriminate.
Adults 65 years of age and older have the second highest rate of drowning nationwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), with incidents especially high in New Mexico.
Even though New Mexico is a landlocked desert state, its drowning rate is 24% greater than that nationally, ranking us 11th in the country for unintentional drowning deaths, as of 2024 data from the CDC. The organizations also states that American Indian or Alaska Native people have higher drowning rates than any other race and ethnic group. Nationally, drownings are at five-year high (4,500 people annually), with older adults and young children impacted the most.
Lakes, arroyos, non-lifeguarded bodies of water, in-home pools, hot tubs, and even bathtubs are all drown risks. However, since New Mexico has so little water and because so many people wrongly believe that most drownings occur in large bodies of water, the state has a large population that doesn’t know how to swim.
Basic swimming and water safety skills training is a proven, effective way to prevent drowning. Yet, 40 million adults do not know how to swim, and over half of U.S. adults have never taken a swimming lesson, the CDC states. For Hispanics, the numbers are even higher: Three in four Hispanic adults (72%) reported never taking a lesson.
“A lot of parents who bring their children (for lessons) don’t know how to swim either,” said Matt Steiger, owner of 505 Swimming, which serves Santa Fe and Los Alamos, and intends to have a presence in Albuquerque as early as this summer. “It’s innate in humans where if you don’t learn to swim, you become afraid of it. Some people develop a mindset that they’ll never learn to swim.”
Yet, drowning deaths are preventable, and now is the best time of year to take action to protect yourself and your family.
Even if you didn’t take lessons as a child, realize it’s never too late, said Brian J. Stinett, City of Santa Fe Recreation Division director.
For older adults in particular, said Dr. Jaren Trost, a rheumatologist and senior medical director with Optum New Mexico, “If you think you can swim, you may be overestimating your capabilities.”
Trost said that as people age they tend to lose their sense of thirst and may become dehydrated while swimming without noticing their need for water. This can lead to weakness and exacerbate drowning risks. Drinking alcohol also contributes to dehydration, decreases inhibitions and environmental awareness, and increases risks of water accidents, he said.
Trost added that other important ways older adults can prevent water injuries, accidents and drownings include:
- Avoiding swimming if the medications you take can affect your balance, coordination, or judgement as these side effects could increase your risk of drowning.
- Learning and practicing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), which can save lives and improve outcomes in drowning victims.
- Using a buddy system. “No matter your age, it’s always good to have a chaperone with you around water,” Trost said.
- Selecting water sites that have a lifeguard present.
Local experts caution that it doesn’t take much for someone to be in trouble.
“It only takes a teaspoon of water to drown, depending on how it gets into your system and blocks your airways,” Stinett said. “Swimming is a life skill. You never know a time when you’re going to need it.”
Water-Based Exercise Among Best for Senior Health
When the proper precautions are taken, swimming and other water-based exercises offer myriad physical and mental health benefits. This is particularly true for older adults.
“My healthiest patients are swimmers,” said Dr. Jaren Trost, a rheumatologist and senior medical director with Optum New Mexico. “It really works your whole body when you swim. It’s cardiovascular and weight bearing, and my patients who have joint issues like arthritis or osteoarthritis can exercise longer in water without increased joint or muscle pain.”
Water-based exercise can even improve quality of life and decrease disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Other significant health benefits of swimming include:
- Improved health for people with chronic illnesses like diabetes, heart disease, and arthritis.
- Improved mood.
- Decreased pain.
- Improve or help maintain the bone health of post-menopausal women.
Plus, any exercise that people will actually do regularly is optimal, and the CDC states that people report enjoying water-based exercise more than exercising on land.
