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Heat waves fueled by climate change are arriving earlier, growing more intense and lasting longer, creating higher risks of illness and death for older people who are especially vulnerable to hot weather.
In America’s hottest big metro, older people accounted for most of the people who died last summer in broiling heat inside their homes, almost all without air conditioning. The heat dangers well known in greater Phoenix are becoming known familiar nationwide.
Some takeaways:
WHY ARE OLDER PEOPLE MORE LIKELY TO DIE FROM THE HEAT?
People ages 60 and over tend to have more chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease and kidney problems than younger people. Those conditions can be made worse by high temperatures because as the heat index rises, it becomes harder to cool off the body.
Medicines that many older people use to treat chronic ailments, such as diuretics for high blood pressure, can also make them more vulnerable to the heat.
Older people can have mobility issues, which can make it hard to get help when it is needed during an extreme heat event. And they tend to live alone and be more socially isolated, which means other people may not know they are in distress and provide the relief they need before it is too late.
