The Three H's

The three H's have gripped the East Coast and most of the country too..... Hazy.......HOT....... and HUMID.... spells disaster for the elderly..... and the homeless population of this country. Relief.......is on the way but in the mean time...... check on your elderly neighbors.....and make sure they are ok..... many times the fear of crime and the reality of escalating electric cost will present an elderly person with what they see as few alternatives to find relief...... They don't feel safe opening their windows....... and placing their fan in the window for fear they will become victims of crime........ and they can't afford to run their air conditioners........ because the cost of cool doesn't fit into their fixed incomes..... many elderly people die during heat waves because of these two unfortunate scenarios..... In some places the government is FINALLY realizing that they need to supplement the cost of cool.......just like they do with heating during the winter months. If this program was initiated country wide this could save plenty of lives and relieve the stress put on the elderly that often have to choose between food, prescriptions, and energy costs...... this relief would no doubt allow most of the elderly to run their air conditioners without fear of the exorbitant costs..... if your local government has no program.... suggest it! Many Power companies offer their customers a "fixed rate" charge per month.... or budget plan.... so that the costs are nearly always the same....... if you know of someone who could benefit from this type of program....... help them contact the Power company..... and set up their own budget plan. We live in cities of concrete and steel.... the asphalt and tall buildings exacerbate the normal heating that occurs during the heat of the day........ and serve to LOCK it in during what should be the cooler night time hours.... so there is never any relief..... conditions like this.... call for action.... just as we work to bring the automobile casualties down.......we need to work to bring down the preventable deaths caused by heat exhaustion. Other things to do....... make sure they know to drink plenty of water..... to never run a fan on themselves that doesn't have access to an open window.... the air in a closed room is TWICE as hot as the air outside and it causes the person to dehydrate at a higher rate. Help them to reduce the use of the rooms that they cool.... shut off the vents upstairs..... and use the cooler lower level. Remember..... heat rises....... the upper levels of your home are ALWAYS hotter and harder to cool then the lower levels. Basements stay cooler then any other level.... at minimum.......they should have ONE room that is cooled enough for them to get relief in. Here are some other things you can do.... Instruct them to use the power-saver feature and set it to CYCLE if they have a window air-conditioner... they will use less electricity... but still maintain the same level of cool. Keep blinds and draperies closed during the day, this helps to keep heat out. Keeping cool or warm is much easier and efficient in a properly insulated home. Make sure they have plenty of "cool treats" on hand, drink plenty of water, and eat light meals..... eliminating indoor cooking helps to reduce the indoor temperature.... take them a meal or two.... a spritz bottle filled with water to mist with.... will feel great if your senior does not have air conditioning.... Invite them over for dinner or to sit a spell for a bit of relief.... or take them to the mall or perhaps the movies as a treat.... But most of all.... Stay Cool!!!

National Energy Assistance Referral provides information toll free at 1 (866) 674-6327, by e-mail at energy@ncat.org. and www.ncat.org/neaap/programs

The National Council on the Aging's www.benefitscheckup.org identifies assistance programs for older Americans