Massachusetts: 28 May (The Conversation) A deadly heat wave will hit large parts of Asia for several weeks in April and May 2024. When temperatures in India soared above 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 Celsius) on 7 May, politicians campaigning, local newscasters and voters waiting in long lines fainted from the extreme heat.

From Japan in the north to the Philippines in the south, extreme heat has wreaked havoc on everyday life. In Cambodia, students and teachers were sent home from school as their handheld fans did little to protect them from the stifling heat and humidity in their poorly ventilated classrooms.

Farmers in Thailand saw their crops wither and mourned the deaths of their livestock, which perished in the scorching sun. Hundreds of people died from the heat.

Much of the planet is suffering from its dire effects. Excessive heat In recent years.

A week-long heat wave in the southwestern United States in 2023 is called “hell on earth” In Phoenix, where temperatures hit 110 F (43.3 C) or higher for 31 consecutive days.

At the same time, Europe saw unprecedented high temperatures, killing hundreds of people and causing devastating wildfires in Greece.

No matter where or when a heat wave strikes, one pattern remains constant: Older Adults Deaths from extreme heat are most likely to occur, and this crisis will only get worse in the coming years.

we read Climate change and population ageing. Our research documents two global trends that together point to a dire future.

Older people are more likely to suffer from heat stress

First, temperatures are hotter than ever before. The nine-year period from 2015 to 2023 had the warmest average temperatures since global records began in 1880.

Second, populations around the world are aging. By 2050, the number of people aged 60 and over will double to nearly 2.1 billion, representing 21 percent of the total population. Global PopulationToday this ratio is 13 percent.

These combined forces mean that ever-increasing numbers frail older adults Will have to face intense heat.

To understand future risks, we developed population projections for different age groups and combined them with climate change scenarios for the coming decades. Our analysis shows that by 2050, more than 23 percent of the world’s population aged 69 and older will be living in areas where maximum temperatures regularly exceed 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit (37.5 degrees Celsius), compared with just 14 percent today.

This means that approximately 250 million additional older people will be exposed to dangerously high temperatures.

Mapping the data shows that most of these older people live in low- and middle-income countries, where services are inadequate and access to electricity, cooling equipment and safe water is limited.

In historically cold regions of the global North, including North America and Europe, rising temperatures will be a major factor in living conditions for older people. heat exposureIn historically hot regions of the Global South, such as Asia, Africa and South America, population growth and increased longevity mean that increasing numbers of older people will be exposed to intensifying heat-related risks.

Policymakers, communities, families, and older residents need to understand these risks and prepare, as older people are particularly vulnerable to heat.

Extreme heat is especially harmful to the elderly

High temperatures are uncomfortable for everyone, but for the elderly they can be deadly.

Extreme heat worsens common age-related health conditions such as heart, lung, and kidney disease and can cause delirium. Older people do not sweat as much as younger people, making it more difficult to cool their bodies when temperatures rise. These problems are exacerbated by common prescription medications, such as anticholinergics, which further reduce the ability to sweat.

Spending time outdoors in hot and humid weather can lead to dehydration, a problem made worse by side effects of prescription medications such as diuretics and beta-blockers. Dehydration can make older people weak and dizzy, increasing their risk of falls and injuries.

These threats are even more severe in areas that do not have access to safe and affordable drinking water.

Poor air quality makes it harder to breathe, especially for people who already suffer from lung problems like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD.

For older adults with physical health problems, temperatures as low as 80 F (26.7 C) can be very dangerous. And when the humidity is above 90 percent, even 78 F (25.6 C) can be dangerous for older adults.

Nighttime heat is particularly harmful to the elderly, whose homes do not have air conditioning or who are unable to run their air conditioners for long periods of time.

The ideal temperature for comfortable sleep for older adults is between 68 and 77 F (20 and 25 C), and sleep quality decreases as the temperature increases. A night of restless sleep can make an older adult more groggy and confused during their waking hours.

Medications can also lose their effectiveness if they are stored in places warmer than 77 F (25 C).

Older people can also suffer emotionally during repression heat waves

Being confined indoors when temperatures are unbearable can make older people feel bored, sad and lonely. People with cognitive impairments may underestimate the dangers of extreme heat or fail to understand heat advisories.

People with limited physical mobility or without access to transportation cannot easily get to public cooling centers – if there are any nearby – or find relief in nearby “green and blue areas” such as parks and lakes.

These threats are particularly severe in low- and middle-income countries, where older people are more likely to live in substandard housing and lack access to high-quality health care or heat relief.

We refer to this as “systemic poverty cooling.”

What can be done?

Policymakers can work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels in vehicles, power plants, and factories, which drive global warming, and develop effective plans to protect older people from heat exposure. Older adults and their caregivers can also take steps to adapt.

But aid efforts must be tailored to each region and population.

Wealthy municipalities can increase public investment in early warning systems and provide ride-hailing services to cooling centers and hospitals. They can use geographic information systems to identify neighborhoods with high concentrations of the elderly and expand the electricity grid to manage the growing demand for air conditioning.

In areas with substandard housing, limited access to clean water and a lack of public support such as cooling centers, much bigger changes are necessary. Providing better healthcare, water and housing, and reducing air pollution that can exacerbate health problems during heat waves require significant changes and investments that many countries struggle to afford.

World Health Organization And the Pan American Health Organization has warned that this decade will be crucial for preparing communities to cope with the risks of rising heat and aging populations.

Across all sectors, researchers, clinicians, and policymakers can save lives by heeding their call.

(The Conversation) NPK NPK