Is Your Neighbour As Cool As You?

Hounslow Council wants residents to check on the elderly

Hounslow Council is encouraging residents to check up on their neighbours this weekend, following Met Office forecasts of ‘heatwave’ conditions over the next few days.

A Level 3 alert has been issued this afternoon, ( July 18) confirming a 90 per cent chance of heatwave conditions on at least two consecutive days, with temperatures high enough to have a significant effect on health particularly for at risk groups which include older people, the very young and people with pre -existing medical conditions

The council’s social care teams will be checking up on at-risk individuals, for example older people, people with dementia and people with disabilities, and schools are also being offered advice.

Cllr Shantanu Rajawat, Hounslow’s cabinet member for adult social care and health services, said:“With temperatures rising over the next few days, our staff will be checking up on vulnerable clients, but we’re asking residents to look in on any elderly neighbours to make sure they are alright.  A knock on the door to check that they are okay takes very little effort but could make a big difference.”

Tips on staying safe in the hot weather:

• Try to keep out of the sun between 11am and 3pm
• If you have to go out in the heat, walk in the shade, apply sunscreen and wear a hat
• Avoid physical exertion 
• Wear light, loose-fitting cotton clothes
• Drink plenty of cold drinks
• If you have a health problem, keep medicines below 25°C or in the refrigerator 
• Look out for others, especially vulnerable groups such as the elderly, young children and babies, and those with serious illnesses 
• Never leave anyone in a closed, parked vehicle, especially infants, young children or animals
• It can get uncomfortably hot indoors; try to keep your bedroom and living space cool by closing the curtains on windows that receive the sun and opening your windows at cooler times of the day and overnight when safe to do so.
• Turn off non-essential lights and electrical items as these generate heat
• For more information and advice, visit www.hounslow.gov.uk/hotweather. A public information line is also available on 020 8583 5110.

July 18, 2013