With warmer weather around the corner, Interior Health says wellness checks of vulnerable residents will once again be a priority this summer.
The checks will be for individuals with no social support, have inadequate cooling within their home, suffer from mobility challenges or have an inability to relocate to another place.
According to Interior Health, the wellness checks are in response to the heat dome of 2021 and the extreme heat of 2022. The checks will be done either in person or by phone.
“We will look at the temperature within their home, we will ask them a number of questions, just to determine are they safe within their home environment,” said Aaron Miller of Interior Health.
“If we do deem that they’re not safe, we will work at alternative locations where the seniors could go to cool down.
“It could be a public library it could be a community cooling center or an alternative location.”
The B.C. Centre for Disease Control says extreme heat can seriously threaten not only vulnerable populations who don’t have access to safe indoor environments, but also those who don’t have air conditioning.
“Indoor heat can be dangerous, especially if the temperatures stay over 31C for long periods,” the BCCDC said.
“If you are at risk and it gets very hot in your home during extreme heat events, plan to go somewhere cooler during an extreme heat emergency if possible.”
Miller said, based on the success of the program last year, Interior Health is also looking at an extreme cold program starting next winter.
More information about extreme heat is available online.
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