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Legacy
Please note: this post is 137 months old and The Cares Family is no longer operational. This post is shared for information only
For many people, 2013 is the first great British summer for a long time. It's hot, it's sunny, and it's (mostly) dry. People are heading for London's parks, bars, or further afield for a day at the beach, and revelling in the sunshine with an ice cream or beer.
But spare a thought for our older neighbours, for many of whom the persistent heat can be a real burden and even a major health threat. Dehydration, overheating and exhaustion are common complaints when it's very hot. During the 2003 heat wave, London's mortality rate rose by 42%. Very hot weather is very serious.
What makes this even more worrying is that many of our older neighbours in north London do not have close support networks to turn to for help if they're feeling anxious about the heat or their health.
In fact, as our major survey in partnership with Islington Council earlier this year found 14% of those over the age of 65 see friends or neighbours less than once a week. 13% said they would not have a strong support network to turn to in the event of a crisis, while up to 9% do not know their neighbours at all.
In difficult weather conditions, this can obviously have an impact on hundreds, even thousands, of our older neighbours. Older people may leave the house less frequently for fear of overheating, deepening social isolation.
We're asking all our volunteers to be wary of that and to give their neighbours a knock to make sure they're OK, especially if it gets very, very hot over the rest of July an August. It won't take more than a few minutes, and could make a real difference to a neighbour.
And if they're looking for advice, here's an image to remind people how to stay cool: open the windows at night but shut them when it's hot during the day; wear light clothing; and drink plenty of water.
