Three tips for helping your elderly relatives cope with extreme temperatures

Posted on: 8 September 2017

As the summer months rapidly approach in Australia, it's timely to consider how to keep mature family members healthy when the mercury peaks. Seniors who live alone, take medication, have kidney problems or deal with reduced mobility are particularly susceptible to heat stress. If you have older people in your life who fit these risk factors, check out these three tips for helping your elderly relatives cope with extreme temperatures.

Install a programmable thermostat

Many elderly Australians are on a fixed pension income and simply cannot afford the cost of continuous cooling over summer. Installing a programmable thermostat is an excellent way to keep the cooling costs down, while making temperature regulation more convenient for older homeowners with limited mobility. If budget is a concern, a higher temperature can be programmed, while keeping it in the safe range for avoiding heat stress. Your elderly relative can program the thermostat to keep the temperature to their liking while they are home and have it switch off automatically while they are away. For advice on or a competitive quote for installing a programmable thermostat, chat with your local HVAC experts today.

Help pay their cooling bill

If cost is the major hurdle between your elderly relative and their health over summer, you may want to consider helping them to pay summer quarterly electricity bill. If they receive a pension, make sure that they are also receiving a fortnightly energy supplement to help meet their energy costs. Depending on which state you currently reside in, your elderly relative may be eligible for other government assistance schemes to assist in making energy payments. Taking the time to chase these energy discounts up might encourage your relative to use their cooling a little more often.

Encourage an upgrade

Old air conditioning units can be ultra expensive to run, noisy and not very good at their job. If your elderly relative is living on a budget and has an old clunker of an air-con, they are sure to be hesitant to switch it on. Encourage them to upgrade to a quieter, more efficient and cheaper to run air conditioner before summer strikes. While the initial financial outlay may be difficult to justify and afford, you can't put a price on the health and well-being of senior citizens.

For advice on selecting the ideal air conditioning solution to keep your elderly relatives comfortable and healthy this summer, chat with experts at a business like Comfort Zone Airconditioning & Solar Power.

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