University heat project cuts medical emergencies for Hong Kong’s vulnerable elderly

A project designed to teach elderly residents how to protect themselves during heat" class="entity-link entity-topic" data-entity-id="131386" data-entity-type="topic">extreme heat has improved their health and reduced medical emergencies, according to researchers.Results from the first two years of the three-year “Beat the heat” project, released by the Chinese University of Hong Kong on Thursday, showed that tailored home interventions led to a 132 per cent increase in knowledge among older residents regarding heat-related-health-risks" class="entity-link entity-topic" data-entity-id="135830" data-entity-type="topic">heat-related health risks, alongside a 37 per cent reduction in related illnesses.“In a city where summers are getting hotter, it is not just the temperature that matters, it is whether an older adult has the physical reserves to cope,” said Professor Jean Woo, director of the university’s Jockey Club Institute of Ageing, which is leading the project.