6/ Climate Change
[ SPOTLIGHT / KINGSTON ]
Dr. John Muscedere is a critical care physician at Kingston Health Science Centre in Ontario and scientific director of the Canadian Frailty Network.
“The past decade has seen the emergence of two existential threats in Canadians’ collective consciousness – climate change and the aging population. While aging itself is not the issue, the rapidly increasing number of frail Canadians is. These are older people with multiple medical problems, loss of function and reduced quality of life. Right now, there are 1.5 million frail Canadians; this will rise to more than two million by 2030. These are the Canadians who will be most impacted by climate change.
“Temperatures have warmed significantly and will likely continue to rise, causing more frequent and intense heat waves. Extreme summer and winter storms will increase, along with forest fires, infectious disease outbreaks and agricultural disruptions leading to higher food prices. Climate change does not affect everyone equally – those who are frail are at greater risk. Frailty risk factors such as living alone, social isolation and low socioeconomic status also increase the risk from extreme weather.
“Over the next 10 years, every senior will need an emergency preparedness plan, developed with their caregivers and support agencies. It should detail who will check on them during a climate crisis and where they might go if conditions are unsafe. Government and disaster relief agencies will need to harness technology such as personal sensors, social media and big data to help identify and deliver services to people at risk in the face of climate events.”
THE FUTURE
In July 2018, 66 people died in Montreal during a heat wave – the hottest month on record in 97 years. Sixty-six per cent were 65 or older. Many lived alone, and two-thirds lived in neighbourhoods with lots of concrete and few trees to provide shade. Montreal’s public health agency plans to set up a detailed registry that will map high-risk neighbourhoods and homes in order to mitigate climate-related deaths. As Muscedere says, “Forward planning such as this is important for all neighbourhoods to safeguard our older adults.”