25/06/2026
HEATWAVE SAFETY FOR OLDER ADULTS 🌞
‼️Extreme heat is particularly dangerous for our older members of our community as the can find it harder to regulate temperature.
Pass these vital tips along to your family, friends, and neighbours:
🚰Drink Before You Feel Thirsty: Sip water consistently throughout the day. Thirst perception naturally declines with age.
⚠️Avoid Dehydrating Drinks: Limit or skip alcohol, tea, coffee, and sugary soft drinks, which pull fluid away from the body.
🍉Eat High-Water Foods: Snack on cold, hydrating foods like watermelon, cucumber, strawberries, and yogurt.
☀️Block the Midday Sun: Keep curtains, blinds, and windows tightly closed during peak daylight hours to trap cool air inside.
Know the Fan Limit: Electric fans do not prevent heat illness if indoor temperatures pass 35°C (95°F). Do not aim fans directly at the body.
🧊Cool Your Pulse Points: Place a damp cloth or a cloth-wrapped ice pack on your neck, wrists, or underarms for fast relief
Move to the Ground Floor: Heat rises. If you live in a multi-story home, set up a temporary living or sleeping space downstairs.
🏡Stay Indoors From 11 AM to 3 PM: Avoid the outdoors during peak heat and UV hours.
Shift gardening or walks to early morning.
🏥Check Your Medications: Some heart, blood pressure, and fluid tablets affect how your body sweats. Check with your pharmacist.
Store Medicines Correctly: Move medications out of sunny rooms into a cool, dry cupboard. Most degrade above 25°C.
⚠️Watch for Warning Signs: Seek air-conditioned public spaces (like libraries) if home is too hot.
🥵 Look out for dizziness, headaches, or nausea.
⚠️ EMERGENCY: Confusion, hot and dry skin, or fainting are signs of heatstroke. Call emergency services immediately⚠️
