Temperatures are set to soar this week and though the news might be welcomed by some, it’s very worrying for care home residents.
New research, published today by Friends of the Earth, shows 9,589 care homes are located in high heat neighbourhoods. This statistic is concerning for a number of reasons, particularly because older people living in care homes, and those with health conditions, face increased risks from extreme heat.
To give context, separate findings show older people are prone to overheating, with over-75s having very high mortality rates from high temperatures.
Experts from Friends of the Earth conducted their research, which has been published in the form of an interactive map, by analysing data from 2022 – when UK temperatures soared above 40 degrees for the first time and more than 4,500 people died as a result.
Researchers mapped out the areas of England that experienced the hottest temperatures and theorised which areas are highly likely to be exposed to future heat waves. Overall, 4,715 neighbourhoods were discovered across the country.
‘Heatwaves are becoming more frequent and more extreme as climate change gathers pace,’ Denis Fernando, Friends of the Earth campaigner, said. ‘The UK has been hit by thousands of heat-related deaths over recent years, and this could rise to over 10,000 a year by 2050, according to UK government advisors.
‘Extreme heat affects us all – but some communities and people are affected harder than others, including older people, young children, people with health issues and hospital patients.’
Echoing a similar tone, Doug Paulley, disability rights activist, added: ‘Time and time again, disabled people are treated as an expendable afterthought in emergencies – and climate change is one of the biggest. The government’s lack of effective consideration for us in its climate action plan is completely unacceptable.
‘Friends of the Earth’s research reveals just how many care homes are in heatwave danger zones. The government must do more to ensure residents like me are properly protected from the threat they face.’
Some of the recommendations Friends of the Earth is calling for include:
- Prioritise £1bn per year for upgrades to cool buildings most in need, such as hospitals, care homes and nurseries
- Provide health and care workers with heat training on how to protect people most at risk
- Create a new national adaptation plan to protect people from heat – and other extreme weather events
- More trees, parks and water features to be created to cool cities
Photo by Vivek Doshi via UnSplash
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