Air Conditioning Units Needed for Elderly
When temperatures hit the 30°C mark in the summer months, we get a little uncomfortable. But high temperatures can be deadly for the elderly who, with their small incomes, cannot afford air conditioning units. Organisations in the UK and US are warning people to take precautions and help out elderly citizens this summer.
In 2003, the heat wave in England and Wales killed 2000 people, most of whom were elderly. A Help the Aged Spokeswomen in the UK says that the threat is highest for the elderly because “older people are less able to feel the heat and don’t sweat as much, so their bodies retain heat without them knowing it”. A Heat-Health warning system was set up just after the 2003 disaster to warn people of an impending heat wave so that relief units are able to provide air conditioning and refuge for the frail.
In the USA, North Alabama and Texas are already reaching temperature of over 32°C this June, and this means more deaths among the elderly. In bid to save lives and make the elderly more comfortable in their homes this summer, Madison County is asking for air conditioning units from public donations of any new window-sized portable air conditioner.
However, the elderly who are asking for relief have to join a waiting list and hope for donations. “It just breaks up my heart, because we just have to tell them, ‘I’m so sorry, but we don’t have an air conditioner to give you,’” said Larkin Grant, a volunteer in Madison. One of the people on the waiting list for a domestic air conditioning unit is 85-year-old Beulah McCaulley who says that it is just as hot inside her four walls as it is outside and that the heat gives her serious asthma attacks.
Nearby, in Texas, the Texas Apartment Association (TAA) is appealing to its members to implement a Neighbour Care programme to prevent heat related ailments in residents. George Allen from TAA spoke about the Care programme and said, “Experts tell us one of the best ways to prevent heat-related tragedies is for neighbors to look out for each other and check on each other regularly. That’s what we’re asking our members to encourage their residents to do”.
Citizens are encouraged to educate themselves on the signs of heat stress and to be familiar with what precautions to take to prevent heat-related illnesses. Neighbours are asked to look out for people who struggle to pay their utility bills. Individuals can choose to contribute money to assist with the utility bills of the less fortunate and can volunteer for drives to collect and distribute room fans and portable air conditioning units.
Many elderly people rely on community support and donations during the summer months to keep their homes at a livable temperature, however often they don’t receive the air conditioning units and assistance that they need in order to remain healthy and mobile.
