Achi news desk-
With warmer weather around the corner, Interior Health says welfare checks on vulnerable residents will once again be a priority this summer.
The checks will be for individuals without any social support, who have insufficient cooling in their home, suffer from mobility challenges or are unable to move to another place.
According to Interior Health, the wellness checks are in response to the 2021 heat dome and 2022 extreme heat. The checks will be done either in person or by phone.
“We will look at the temperature in their home, we will ask them a number of questions, just to determine if they are safe in their home environment,” said Aaron Miller of Interior Health.
“If we see that they are not safe, we will work in other locations where the elderly could go to cool off.
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“It could be a public library, it could be a community cooling center or another location.”
The BC Center for Disease Control says extreme heat can threaten not only vulnerable populations who don’t have access to safe indoor environments, but also those who don’t have air conditioning.
“Indoor heat can be dangerous, especially if the temperature stays above 31C for long periods,” says the BCCDC.
“If you are at risk and it gets very hot in your home during extreme heat events, plan to go somewhere cooler during an extreme heat emergency if possible.”
Miller said that based on the success of the program last year, Interior Health is also looking at an extreme cold program starting next winter.
More information about extreme heat is available online.
& copy 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
