Takeaways about heat deaths and vulnerable older people
Takeaways about heat deaths and vulnerable older people
Nurse practitioner Anthony Carano speaks with a patient at the Mountain Park Health Center, Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Phoenix. As heat waves fueled by climate change arrive earlier, grow more intense and last longer, people over 60 who are more vulnerable to high temperatures are increasingly at risk of dying from heat-related causes. Heat related deaths are challenging community health systems, utility companies, apartment managers and local governments to better protect older people when temperatures soar.(AP Photo/Matt York)
Nurse practitioner Anthony Carano waits to meet with a patient at the Mountain Park Health Center, Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Phoenix. As heat waves fueled by climate change arrive earlier, grow more intense and last longer, people over 60 who are more vulnerable to high temperatures are increasingly at risk of dying from heat-related causes. Heat related deaths are challenging community health systems, utility companies, apartment managers and local governments to better protect older people when temperatures soar.(AP Photo/Matt York)
A nurse enters an exam room at the Mountain Park Health Center, Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Phoenix. As heat waves fueled by climate change arrive earlier, grow more intense and last longer, people over 60 who are more vulnerable to high temperatures are increasingly at risk of dying from heat-related causes. Heat related deaths are challenging community health systems, utility companies, apartment managers and local governments to better protect older people when temperatures soar.(AP Photo/Matt York)
People exit the nonprofit Mountain Park Health Center, Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Phoenix. As heat waves fueled by climate change arrive earlier, grow more intense and last longer, people over 60 who are more vulnerable to high temperatures are increasingly at risk of dying from heat-related causes. Heat related deaths are challenging community health systems, utility companies, apartment managers and local governments to better protect older people when temperatures soar.(AP Photo/Matt York)
FILE - Joel Aslin accepts groceries for his neighbor, Karen Colby, from a volunteer with the nonprofit Store to Door on July 22, 2021, in Portland, Ore. Colby spent 10 days in the hospital with complications from heat stroke after nearly dying during a record-smashing heat wave that hit the Pacific Northwest with temperatures of up to 116 F. As heat waves fueled by climate change arrive earlier, grow more intense and last longer, people over 60 who are more vulnerable to high temperatures are increasingly at risk of dying from heat-related causes. (AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus,File)
FILE - The late afternoon temperature hits 115-degrees in downtown Phoenix, Monday, June 19, 2017. As heat waves fueled by climate change arrive earlier, grow more intense and last longer, people over 60 who are more vulnerable to high temperatures are increasingly at risk of dying from heat-related causes. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin,File)
FILE - In this June 19, 2017 file photo Steve Smith takes a drink of water as he tries to keep hydrated and stay cool as temperatures climb to near-record highs, in Phoenix. As heat waves fueled by climate change arrive earlier, grow more intense and last longer, people over 60 who are more vulnerable to high temperatures are increasingly at risk of dying from heat-related causes. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)
FILE - Environmental activist Reggie Carrillo speaks with community members, Friday, Sept 28, 2022, in Phoenix. Carrillo has benefited from one of several nonprofit initiatives to educate and engage residents about climate fueled heat that disproportionately affects low income neighborhoods of color. As heat waves fueled by climate change arrive earlier, grow more intense and last longer, people over 60 who are more vulnerable to high temperatures are increasingly at risk of dying from heat-related causes. (AP Photo/Matt York,File)
FILE - Dr. Alexander St. John poses for a photo at Harborview Medical Center, on Monday, Feb. 28, 2022, in Seattle. During a heat wave in 2020 in the Pacific Northwest, St. John, an emergency room physician, used a body bag filled with ice from the hospital’s kitchen to bring down the body temperature of a patient that had reached 104 degrees. As heat waves fueled by climate change arrive earlier, grow more intense and last longer, people over 60 who are more vulnerable to high temperatures are increasingly at risk of dying from heat-related causes. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear,File)
FILE - Residents attend an event hosted by Arizona State University graduate design students at Academia del Pueblo charter school, Friday, Sept 28, 2022, in Phoenix. Community members were learning how to organize and advocate for cooler, greener, healthier neighborhoods. As heat waves fueled by climate change arrive earlier, grow more intense and last longer, people over 60 who are more vulnerable to high temperatures are increasingly at risk of dying from heat-related causes. (AP Photo/Matt York,File)
FILE - Residents look at a map of central Phoenix to find locations for a cool corridor at an event hosted by Arizona State University graduate design students at Academia del Pueblo charter school, Friday, Sept 28, 2022, in Phoenix. As heat waves fueled by climate change arrive earlier, grow more intense and last longer, people over 60 who are more vulnerable to high temperatures are increasingly at risk of dying from heat-related causes. (AP Photo/Matt York,File)
FILE - A monitor displays an image of Veldarin Jackson, Sr. and his mother, Janice Reed, who was one of the three senior victims who died in a Rogers Park building where residents complained of heat, at the office of attorney Larry R. Rogers, Jr., Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in Chicago. As heat waves fueled by climate change arrive earlier, grow more intense and last longer, people over 60 who are more vulnerable to high temperatures are increasingly at risk of dying from heat-related causes. (Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune via AP, File)
Judy, left, and Merlyn Webber sit out in front of their home at Mobile Estates on Southeast Division Street in Portland, Ore., Tuesday, July 26, 2022. As heat waves fueled by climate change arrive earlier, grow more intense and last longer, people over 60 who are more vulnerable to high temperatures are increasingly at risk of dying from heat-related causes. (Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian via AP,File)
Nurse practitioner Anthony Carano speaks with a patient at the Mountain Park Health Center, Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Phoenix. As heat waves fueled by climate change arrive earlier, grow more intense and last longer, people over 60 who are more vulnerable to high temperatures are increasingly at risk of dying from heat-related causes. Heat related deaths are challenging community health systems, utility companies, apartment managers and local governments to better protect older people when temperatures soar.(AP Photo/Matt York)
Nurse practitioner Anthony Carano speaks with a patient at the Mountain Park Health Center, Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Phoenix. As heat waves fueled by climate change arrive earlier, grow more intense and last longer, people over 60 who are more vulnerable to high temperatures are increasingly at risk of dying from heat-related causes. Heat related deaths are challenging community health systems, utility companies, apartment managers and local governments to better protect older people when temperatures soar.(AP Photo/Matt York)
Nurse practitioner Anthony Carano waits to meet with a patient at the Mountain Park Health Center, Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Phoenix. As heat waves fueled by climate change arrive earlier, grow more intense and last longer, people over 60 who are more vulnerable to high temperatures are increasingly at risk of dying from heat-related causes. Heat related deaths are challenging community health systems, utility companies, apartment managers and local governments to better protect older people when temperatures soar.(AP Photo/Matt York)
Nurse practitioner Anthony Carano waits to meet with a patient at the Mountain Park Health Center, Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Phoenix. As heat waves fueled by climate change arrive earlier, grow more intense and last longer, people over 60 who are more vulnerable to high temperatures are increasingly at risk of dying from heat-related causes. Heat related deaths are challenging community health systems, utility companies, apartment managers and local governments to better protect older people when temperatures soar.(AP Photo/Matt York)
A nurse enters an exam room at the Mountain Park Health Center, Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Phoenix. As heat waves fueled by climate change arrive earlier, grow more intense and last longer, people over 60 who are more vulnerable to high temperatures are increasingly at risk of dying from heat-related causes. Heat related deaths are challenging community health systems, utility companies, apartment managers and local governments to better protect older people when temperatures soar.(AP Photo/Matt York)
A nurse enters an exam room at the Mountain Park Health Center, Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Phoenix. As heat waves fueled by climate change arrive earlier, grow more intense and last longer, people over 60 who are more vulnerable to high temperatures are increasingly at risk of dying from heat-related causes. Heat related deaths are challenging community health systems, utility companies, apartment managers and local governments to better protect older people when temperatures soar.(AP Photo/Matt York)
People exit the nonprofit Mountain Park Health Center, Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Phoenix. As heat waves fueled by climate change arrive earlier, grow more intense and last longer, people over 60 who are more vulnerable to high temperatures are increasingly at risk of dying from heat-related causes. Heat related deaths are challenging community health systems, utility companies, apartment managers and local governments to better protect older people when temperatures soar.(AP Photo/Matt York)
People exit the nonprofit Mountain Park Health Center, Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Phoenix. As heat waves fueled by climate change arrive earlier, grow more intense and last longer, people over 60 who are more vulnerable to high temperatures are increasingly at risk of dying from heat-related causes. Heat related deaths are challenging community health systems, utility companies, apartment managers and local governments to better protect older people when temperatures soar.(AP Photo/Matt York)
FILE - Joel Aslin accepts groceries for his neighbor, Karen Colby, from a volunteer with the nonprofit Store to Door on July 22, 2021, in Portland, Ore. Colby spent 10 days in the hospital with complications from heat stroke after nearly dying during a record-smashing heat wave that hit the Pacific Northwest with temperatures of up to 116 F. As heat waves fueled by climate change arrive earlier, grow more intense and last longer, people over 60 who are more vulnerable to high temperatures are increasingly at risk of dying from heat-related causes. (AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus,File)
FILE - Joel Aslin accepts groceries for his neighbor, Karen Colby, from a volunteer with the nonprofit Store to Door on July 22, 2021, in Portland, Ore. Colby spent 10 days in the hospital with complications from heat stroke after nearly dying during a record-smashing heat wave that hit the Pacific Northwest with temperatures of up to 116 F. As heat waves fueled by climate change arrive earlier, grow more intense and last longer, people over 60 who are more vulnerable to high temperatures are increasingly at risk of dying from heat-related causes. (AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus,File)
FILE - The late afternoon temperature hits 115-degrees in downtown Phoenix, Monday, June 19, 2017. As heat waves fueled by climate change arrive earlier, grow more intense and last longer, people over 60 who are more vulnerable to high temperatures are increasingly at risk of dying from heat-related causes. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin,File)
FILE - The late afternoon temperature hits 115-degrees in downtown Phoenix, Monday, June 19, 2017. As heat waves fueled by climate change arrive earlier, grow more intense and last longer, people over 60 who are more vulnerable to high temperatures are increasingly at risk of dying from heat-related causes. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin,File)
FILE - In this June 19, 2017 file photo Steve Smith takes a drink of water as he tries to keep hydrated and stay cool as temperatures climb to near-record highs, in Phoenix. As heat waves fueled by climate change arrive earlier, grow more intense and last longer, people over 60 who are more vulnerable to high temperatures are increasingly at risk of dying from heat-related causes. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)
FILE - In this June 19, 2017 file photo Steve Smith takes a drink of water as he tries to keep hydrated and stay cool as temperatures climb to near-record highs, in Phoenix. As heat waves fueled by climate change arrive earlier, grow more intense and last longer, people over 60 who are more vulnerable to high temperatures are increasingly at risk of dying from heat-related causes. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)
FILE - Environmental activist Reggie Carrillo speaks with community members, Friday, Sept 28, 2022, in Phoenix. Carrillo has benefited from one of several nonprofit initiatives to educate and engage residents about climate fueled heat that disproportionately affects low income neighborhoods of color. As heat waves fueled by climate change arrive earlier, grow more intense and last longer, people over 60 who are more vulnerable to high temperatures are increasingly at risk of dying from heat-related causes. (AP Photo/Matt York,File)
FILE - Environmental activist Reggie Carrillo speaks with community members, Friday, Sept 28, 2022, in Phoenix. Carrillo has benefited from one of several nonprofit initiatives to educate and engage residents about climate fueled heat that disproportionately affects low income neighborhoods of color. As heat waves fueled by climate change arrive earlier, grow more intense and last longer, people over 60 who are more vulnerable to high temperatures are increasingly at risk of dying from heat-related causes. (AP Photo/Matt York,File)
FILE - Dr. Alexander St. John poses for a photo at Harborview Medical Center, on Monday, Feb. 28, 2022, in Seattle. During a heat wave in 2020 in the Pacific Northwest, St. John, an emergency room physician, used a body bag filled with ice from the hospital’s kitchen to bring down the body temperature of a patient that had reached 104 degrees. As heat waves fueled by climate change arrive earlier, grow more intense and last longer, people over 60 who are more vulnerable to high temperatures are increasingly at risk of dying from heat-related causes. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear,File)
FILE - Dr. Alexander St. John poses for a photo at Harborview Medical Center, on Monday, Feb. 28, 2022, in Seattle. During a heat wave in 2020 in the Pacific Northwest, St. John, an emergency room physician, used a body bag filled with ice from the hospital’s kitchen to bring down the body temperature of a patient that had reached 104 degrees. As heat waves fueled by climate change arrive earlier, grow more intense and last longer, people over 60 who are more vulnerable to high temperatures are increasingly at risk of dying from heat-related causes. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear,File)
FILE - Residents attend an event hosted by Arizona State University graduate design students at Academia del Pueblo charter school, Friday, Sept 28, 2022, in Phoenix. Community members were learning how to organize and advocate for cooler, greener, healthier neighborhoods. As heat waves fueled by climate change arrive earlier, grow more intense and last longer, people over 60 who are more vulnerable to high temperatures are increasingly at risk of dying from heat-related causes. (AP Photo/Matt York,File)
FILE - Residents attend an event hosted by Arizona State University graduate design students at Academia del Pueblo charter school, Friday, Sept 28, 2022, in Phoenix. Community members were learning how to organize and advocate for cooler, greener, healthier neighborhoods. As heat waves fueled by climate change arrive earlier, grow more intense and last longer, people over 60 who are more vulnerable to high temperatures are increasingly at risk of dying from heat-related causes. (AP Photo/Matt York,File)
FILE - Residents look at a map of central Phoenix to find locations for a cool corridor at an event hosted by Arizona State University graduate design students at Academia del Pueblo charter school, Friday, Sept 28, 2022, in Phoenix. As heat waves fueled by climate change arrive earlier, grow more intense and last longer, people over 60 who are more vulnerable to high temperatures are increasingly at risk of dying from heat-related causes. (AP Photo/Matt York,File)
FILE - Residents look at a map of central Phoenix to find locations for a cool corridor at an event hosted by Arizona State University graduate design students at Academia del Pueblo charter school, Friday, Sept 28, 2022, in Phoenix. As heat waves fueled by climate change arrive earlier, grow more intense and last longer, people over 60 who are more vulnerable to high temperatures are increasingly at risk of dying from heat-related causes. (AP Photo/Matt York,File)
FILE - A monitor displays an image of Veldarin Jackson, Sr. and his mother, Janice Reed, who was one of the three senior victims who died in a Rogers Park building where residents complained of heat, at the office of attorney Larry R. Rogers, Jr., Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in Chicago. As heat waves fueled by climate change arrive earlier, grow more intense and last longer, people over 60 who are more vulnerable to high temperatures are increasingly at risk of dying from heat-related causes. (Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune via AP, File)
FILE - A monitor displays an image of Veldarin Jackson, Sr. and his mother, Janice Reed, who was one of the three senior victims who died in a Rogers Park building where residents complained of heat, at the office of attorney Larry R. Rogers, Jr., Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in Chicago. As heat waves fueled by climate change arrive earlier, grow more intense and last longer, people over 60 who are more vulnerable to high temperatures are increasingly at risk of dying from heat-related causes. (Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune via AP, File)
Judy, left, and Merlyn Webber sit out in front of their home at Mobile Estates on Southeast Division Street in Portland, Ore., Tuesday, July 26, 2022. As heat waves fueled by climate change arrive earlier, grow more intense and last longer, people over 60 who are more vulnerable to high temperatures are increasingly at risk of dying from heat-related causes. (Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian via AP,File)
Judy, left, and Merlyn Webber sit out in front of their home at Mobile Estates on Southeast Division Street in Portland, Ore., Tuesday, July 26, 2022. As heat waves fueled by climate change arrive earlier, grow more intense and last longer, people over 60 who are more vulnerable to high temperatures are increasingly at risk of dying from heat-related causes. (Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian via AP,File)
SUN LAKES, Arizona (AP) — Heat waves fueled by climate change are arriving earlier, growing more intense and lasting longer, creating higher risks of illness and death for older people who are especially vulnerable to hot weather.
In America’s hottest big metro, older people accounted for most of the people who died last summer in broiling heat inside their homes, almost all without air conditioning. The heat dangers well known in greater Phoenix are becoming known familiar nationwide.
Some takeaways:
WHY ARE OLDER PEOPLE MORE LIKELY TO DIE FROM THE HEAT?
People ages 60 and over tend to have more chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease and kidney problems than younger people. Those conditions can be made worse by high temperatures because as the heat index rises, it becomes harder to cool off the body.
Medicines that many older people use to treat chronic ailments, such as diuretics for high blood pressure, can also make them more vulnerable to the heat.
Older people can have mobility issues, which can make it hard to get help when it is needed during an extreme heat event. And they tend to live alone and be more socially isolated, which means other people may not know they are in distress and provide the relief they need before it is too late.
HOW DOES CLIMATE CHANGE FIGURE INTO THIS?
Global warming is leading to more intense and longer lasting heat waves in areas once accustomed to milder weather, with one study showing that dangerous heat in the coming years will increasingly hit many parts of the world at least three times as hard as climate change worsens.
Another study in recent years estimated more than a third of U.S. heat deaths each year can be attributed to human-caused global warming. It found more than 1,100 deaths a year from climate change-caused heat in U.S. cities where people often don’t have air conditioning or are not acclimated to hot weather.
WHAT ARE NOTABLE EXAMPLES OF HEAT-ASSOCIATED DEATHS?
The most dramatic example of a deadly heat-associated disaster in the United States occurred in Chicago in 1995. That summer, more than 700 people, most of them older Black people, died alone in apartments that were transformed into ovens.
Also in Chicago, three African American women in their 60s and 70s died in spring 2022 when the centrally controlled heating in their housing complex remained on and the air conditioning was off despite unseasonable 90-degree (32 C) weather in mid-May.
An undetermined number of older people died during the summer of 2021 when an unexpected heat wave swept across the U.S. Pacific Northwest. Canada reported that coroners confirmed more than 600 people died from the heat in neighboring British Columbia.
HOW CAN OLDER PEOPLE BE BETTER PROTECTED FROM THE HEAT?
Phoenix and many other U.S. cities have long had plans in place to protect people during heat waves, usually by taking steps like opening cooling centers and distributing bottled water.
Health clinics, utilities and local governments are finding new ways to help keep older people safe when temperatures soar.
The clinics are working to improve communication with at-risk people living alone so they know how to better handle the exteme heat. Local governments and n on-profit organizations also try to help with free repair or replacement of non-functioning air conditioners for low-income people.
In some jurisdictions, low-income people can also find private or public funds to pay utility bills so they can keep their air conditioning running. Regulations and laws proposed after extreme heat deaths of older people in metro Phoenix and Chicago can also help keep the air conditioning on.
____ This report was written with the support of a journalism fellowship from The Gerontological Society of America, The Journalists Network on Generations and The John A. Hartford Foundation.