The Link

8/7/2012
AARP Alabama

AARP Offers Tips/Kit to Help Deal with Extreme Heat; Urges Residents to Check on the Elderly

(MONTGOMERY, Alabama.) - As the mercury continues to rise in across the state of Alabama this time of year, AARP Alabama today urged local residents to check on older friends and loved ones during the extreme heat.

Older Alabamians are among the most susceptible to heat-related illness and deaths. It is critically important to check on older neighbors and family members, especially those who live alone. Not only do older people lose some of their ability to adapt to heat, certain medications interfere with the body's ability to handle heat.

Also, according to the Centers for Disease Control, extreme heat kills more Americans each year than hurricanes, lightning, tornadoes and floods combined.

AARP is making a special online toolkit available titled "Help Someone Stay Cool During Extreme Heat," to encourage volunteers and community members to get out and help their neighbors during these hot summer days. To access the kit, which offers an action list for heat emergencies, create a free login then visit the "how to guides" at www.createthegood.org.

AARP's toolkit also offers a checklist on how to assess whether an elderly resident has access to air conditioning, ways to minimize extraneous heat sources and determine whether concern about high utility bills may be contributing to the non-use of air conditioners.

It is important to note that while electric fans can provide comfort, when the temperature is extreme, fans will not prevent heat-related illnesses.

Every heat-related illness and death is preventable. That's why AARP is encouraging you to check on people in your community during this heat wave. Take a minute and download our free toolkit then make a list of neighbors or others in your community who you think might be especially susceptible to extreme heat.

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AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with a membership that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to either political campaigns or candidates. We produce AARP The Magazine, the definitive voice for 50+ Americans and the world's largest-circulation magazine with over 35.1 million readers; AARP Bulletin, the go-to news source for AARP's millions of members and Americans 50+; AARP VIVA, our bilingual multimedia platform for Hispanic members; and our website, AARP.org. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. We have staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

(Contact: Jesse Salinas, State Director, AARP, 334-954-3057, jsalinas@aarp.org)