Heatwave Health Advice

Heatwave Health Advice

Heat stress, heat exhaustion and heatstroke are potentially serious health risks for people during a heatwave.

• In heatwaves, significant increases in mortality can occur due especially in those >65years old and more vulnerable groups
• Deaths have occurred at home, in residential care facilities and in hospitals

Who is particularly vulnerable?

Heatwaves can affect any of us, but those most at risk are:

• Babies and children
• People >65 years old
• People with underlying health conditions including problems with breathing, heart, kidneys and diabetes
• People with Alzheimer’s and dementia

Public Health Advice 

Keep cool

Keep your indoor environment cool:

• Minimise unnecessary heating - turn off central heating, electrical equipment and lights that are not needed
• Keep out the heat - increase shade or cover windows exposed to direct sunlight
• Use natural ventilation such as open windows when the air feels cooler outside than inside (e.g at night) and where it is safe and secure to do so
• Increase air flow through buildings wherever possible
• If you are using air conditioning, make sure it is using a fresh air supply, which is important to prevent spread of Covid-19
• Electric fans need to be used with caution, as they may not be safe for higher temperatures and should not be used where a person may be incubating or a case of Covid-19

 Evaporative cooling – dampening your skin may help keep you cool

Stay hydrated

• Make sure you have enough water to drink. It is important to stay hydrated
• You might like to leave to drinks in the fridge
• An adult needs approximately 2 litres of liquid over 24 hours. This may be less for smaller people or those with medical conditions

Reduce the risk of dehydration

• Drink more fluids when you feel any dehydration symptoms. The best fluids to drink are water or oral rehydration sachets – chat to your pharmacist about how to use these safely.
• Drink enough during the day so your pee is a pale clear colour.

Carers: making sure someone drinks enough

The person you are caring for may not have a sense of how much they're drinking.

To help them:

• make sure they drink during mealtimes
• make drinking a social thing, like "having a cup of tea"
• offer them food with a high water content – for example,  ice cream or jellies, or fruits like melon

When to get medical help

Contact your GP or the Emergency Department if you are unwell and especially if you  

• are confused and disorientated
• feel very dizzy
• have not peed all day
• feel like your heart is beating fast
• have fits (seizures)
• are caring for someone who is drowsy or difficult to wake

These can be signs of serious dehydration that need urgent treatment.

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