The Department of Social Welfare and Equal Opportunities Policy, which directs Maria del Carmen Pelegrin, in anticipation of the high temperatures that often occur at this time of year has launched a special device to help older people to beat the heat between the months of July and September.
Social Welfare, serving a total of 3,169 users through the Telecare service, performs a series of recommendations and monitors the user services to prevent, minimize and deal with health effects that can cause extreme temperatures.
The actions of this year give particular attention to the 708 people defenseless against heat, to be in key risk.
These measures apply to all the users of Telecare, but in a special way to the most vulnerable because of age, dependency, isolation and chronic diseases associated with cardiovascular or respiratory rate.
Between 1 June and 10 July 2008, there have been over 1205 visits to deliver and read the recommendations to prevent the effects of heat and has been visited 136 key users risk.
Three more were treated by the mobile unit to supply energy drinks in your own home.
Emphasizes the implementation of a special care for older people with a higher risk through home telecare service.
It aims to take special care of the elderly, especially over 80 years, living alone, in addition to those who suffer an emergency as a result of a heat wave, which suffer from associated chronic diseases, especially cardiovascular or respiratory problems, some disability or any other characteristic related to their health or housing conditions that contribute to their consideration as vulnerable to the heat wave (obesity or extreme thinness, diabetes, lack of proper cooling system, etc.).
Depending on the parameters set by the Spanish Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology, the device is activated depending on the risk levels established by the Institute of Meteorology and is divided into three levels.
Level 1 is aimed at everyone over 80 who live alone (Among users of Telecare are currently 239 major part of this group), level 2 for children under 80 years with one or more factors socio risk (no 397) and level 3 targets over 80 years, in addition to live alone, are associated with more than three risk factors (total 72).
They all add up 708, the highest risk group.
For the 3,169 current beneficiaries have implemented a number of preventive measures, among which the distribution in their homes a few recommendations developed specifically for this purpose, the information in advance of the anticipated temperature forecasts provided by the Institute of Meteorology professionals Call the Central and the identification of users based on their risk and their identification using keys to facilitate intervention if necessary.
Additionally there are 155 detectors installed in homes mobile users ever level 3 and level 2 directly connected via radio with mobile units and are made daily calls and visits of the two mobile units daily users that need it most.
The units come with an additional supplementary equipment for emergency disposal, refrigerator consisting of a network connector, sports drinks and cold packs.
Note that this device work more than 43 people a day.
The home telecare service is provided 24 hours a day throughout the year.
Source: Ayuntamiento de Murcia