International Heat Action Day

This summer could be very hot and dry again. Important: Drink plenty of fluids, stay in the shade and protect yourself from the sun with clothing and sunscreen. Unfortunately, many people still do not take the danger of heat seriously, especially for older people. We must protect and warn the elderly and those in need of care in particular. Here is an information from AGE Platform Europe:

„On 2 June, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies marks the International Heat Action Day. The day is a reminder for the important impact of extreme temperature events, which tend to become more numerous due to climate change. Many older persons are in situations of vulnerability in the event of heat waves, but also persons with diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases and other conditions.

Why older persons face more vulnerability to heat waves

While people of all ages are suffering from extreme heat episodes, some older persons can face a high risk of dehydration and other adverse consequences. People living in residential homes might be particularly affected because of their disability, disease or care need, impossibility to move elsewhere and inadequate infrastructure.

The building stock in which older people live is often poorly insulated, in particular residential care homes which face a lack of investment from their funding authorities. Older persons living at home, both tenants and homeowners, are more likely to live in housing which has not been renovated for a longer period and thus are more likely to lack insulation and cooling devices, having no respite zone from the heat at home.

Age discrimination in the access to credit and mortgage prevents many older persons to invest into larger renovations of their housing, cementing the issues of lack of insulation. The fear to have to fund future care needs further prevents them from contracting credit, as many do want to leave some heritage to their families.

Spacial planning is important in the resilience to heatwaves: in densely populated urban areas, there is often a lack of shade, green or blue spaces, providing comfort and preventing the formation of heat islands. In rural areas, there might be less air-conditioned spaces available.

The numbers of heat-related deaths is expected to increase due to climate change. In Malta, for instance, the magazine ‘Nature’ has predicted that heat-related deaths could triple by the end of the century if global warming remains unaddressed. Spain’s National Centre for Epidemology at Carlos III Health Institute estimates that between 2015 and 2024, almost 24,000 premature deaths could be attributed to heat. These observations call for urgent action.

How can we address heatwaves from an ageing perspective?

There are solutions at local and national and European level, however. Local health plans can help to raise awareness for the impact and ways to address heat episodes. The EU could encourage the development of such heat plans through a legislative initiative. These heat plans can include the following elements:

Awareness-raising and public health advice on how to act during heat waves. Taking into account humidity levels when announcing the temperatures to calculate a ‘feels like’ temperature can also help in adequately adapting to more challenging climatic conditions.
Communication to health and social care professionals about how to mitigate heat and how to protect themselves as well as the persons they care for
Encourage relatives, neighbours and friends to visit and call their older peers to check-in on how they are doing
Open libraries, museums, public administrations, shops and supermarkets or other public spaces with air conditioning to older persons and persons with disabilities to stay for longer periods for free to get rest from the heat.
Opening of temporary heat centres which can provide medical primary care, social care, social work, physical therapy, emotional and psychological support, referral service, entertainment, educational programmes on health and other popular issues, self-activity groups etc.
Make it mandatory to provide free drinking water, including in restaurants and bars for passers-by, and not only for clients and communicate on this. Develop more publicly accessible spots to safe drinking water

In the medium-term, the EU’s preparedness and resilience plans and in particular the next multiannual budget should make it possible to provide access to insulated housing for persons in need of care, older homeowners with low incomes, and encourage landlords to insulate and equip their rented-out housing properties. The installation of window shades should be further encouraged as well.

Similar issues regarding heat waves of course also affect older persons when facing extreme cold episodes in winter. Encouraging insulation can provide some relief here, too, and there are many elements from heat action plans which can inspire as well cold action plans.

In general, health prevention, civil protection and disaster plans should better take into account the vulnerabilities and specific needs of older people.

Good practices collected by AGE members

AGE has collected a number of good practices which exist in EU member states to improve resilience to heat waves:

Cyprus’ plan for protecting from the impact of climate change includes the creation and maintenance of urban parks to reduce urban heat islands, preparing an emergency plan to determine the responsibilities of health and social care centres, including municipal centres, and the opening of community centres to provide spaces of respite.
The HOPE Heatwaves project, funded by Erasmus Plus, developed recommendations specifically to responding to heatwaves from the perspective of older adults.
Malta has multiple measures in place, including the distribution of ‘beat the heat’ leaflets during high temperature periods
In Spain, the Spanish Red Cross has an agreement with the State Secretariat for Social Services, Families and Disability to prevent the effects of heatwaves on older persons and children and promotes the campaign “Beware of the heat”
The Hungarian Heat Alert System distinguishes between three different levels of heat with appropriate actions for each level
In Poland, all mobile phone users get messages or alerts from the Government Safety Centre in the case of extremely high temperatures and local governments arrange water screens or fountains to help feel cooler. Low-income households have also subsidies for the installation of air-conditioning available.
In France, the national heat plan foresees the opening of air-conditioned rooms to all residents of care homes, electric fans with water bottles to people who are bed-ridden, adapted meals during heatwaves, and the occultation of windows as much as possible. People living at home can contact the municipal services to be included in a town’s register and there is possibility to stay longer in public spaces with air-conditioning. National and local public media recall basic recommendations about how to deal with the heat, call on neighbours to be vigilant towards their peers, and local services conduct regular phone calls with people on the public registers. A special helpline is established as well.

Across Europe, and also thanks to the NextGenerationEU’s Recovery and Resilience Fund, subsidies are available for insulation and energy-efficient renovations.“