Keeping an older parent cool and safe in a heatwave
The body's ability to regulate its own temperature declines with age, and common conditions and medications can make it worse, so hot weather is a genuinely bigger risk for an older person than for the rest of the family. UKHSA's mortality monitoring found 1,504 heat associated deaths across England during the heat episodes of summer 2025, rising sharply with age: 116 heat associated deaths per million population among those aged 75 to 84, and 364 per million among those aged 85 and over, with no statistically significant rise in younger age groups.
Practical advice covers keeping the home cool (curtains closed on sun-facing windows during the day, opened at night, a damp cloth on the neck often works better than a fan), staying comfortable outdoors (avoiding 11am to 3pm, light breathable clothing, regular fluids rather than waiting to feel thirsty), and knowing the difference between heat exhaustion (tiredness, dizziness, heavy sweating, usually resolves with 30 minutes of cooling down) and heatstroke (very high temperature, hot skin that has stopped sweating, confusion, seizure or loss of consciousness, a medical emergency requiring an immediate 999 call).
A companion visit turns this advice into something that actually happens: opening a cold drink together, checking curtains are shut on the sunny side of the house, making sure a fan or cool cloth is within reach, and helping someone move to wherever is coolest rather than staying put out of habit. For someone who lives alone, a heatwave can mean more hours than usual spent isolated indoors with the curtains drawn, and a familiar visitor breaks that up as well as helping with the practical side. A companion who sees someone regularly is also well placed to notice a change quickly, such as unusual tiredness or confusion, and knows when to suggest calling the GP, 111 or 999.
AirCarers Companion connects families in Ware, Hertford, Hoddesdon, Broxbourne and the surrounding SG11 to SG14 and EN10 to EN11 postcodes with vetted companions. Every companion is enhanced DBS checked, ID verified, insured and trained. It is a companionship platform, not a CQC registered agency, and does not provide personal or clinical care. Related reading includes coming home after a hospital stay, which also covers hot and cold weather. To talk it through, call 07455 750006 or email lucie@aircarers.co.uk.