Issues and opportunities

Residents of supported and sheltered housing are likely to be especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and are likely to be less able to recover from ill effects. It is therefore particularly important that supported and sheltered housing is resilient to climate and weather events.

The two most significant risks are likely to be from:

• Changes to average and extreme temperatures leading to difficulties in maintaining safe, comfortable internal conditions for residents and staff. Elderly people are particularly vulnerable to excessive temperatures, especially over prolonged periods and during the night. For instance, it is estimated that the August 2003 heat wave caused more than 35,000 excess deaths across Europe of which approximately 2,000 were in the UK.
• Likewise, elderly people are especially vulnerable to the impacts of flooding both in terms of direct physical risks and the health impacts of mental trauma.

It is therefore important that these risks should be minimised through good design, construction and management of supported and sheltered housing. General advice on climate risks to buildings is available here. Other relevant advice on housing can be found on the New housing and Housing renewal and refurbishment pages.

In addition to measures to minimise risks, there should also be contingency plans for when premises are unable to cope with extreme events, including:

• Evacuation procedures
• Provision of alternative accommodation
• Cool areas in schemes if impossible to maintain cool temperatures in all units

Simple measures can also help to minimise risks in heat waves:

• Ensure that residents drink enough fluids, but avoid alcohol, caffeine and sugary drinks (assuming there are no health reason to limit their intake of liquid)
• Encourage residents to stay indoors during the hottest period of the day
• Discourage opening of doors and windows in high external temperatures ? where security allows encourage residents to have windows open at night to cool their homes when temperatures are lower

There may also be opportunities arising from projected climate changes, such as:

• Warmer winters leading to fewer excess deaths and falls in snow and ice conditions.
• Milder winters will also reduce the energy demand for heating
• Warmer weather may also offer opportunities for more outside leisure and activities. Site design should include sheltered and shaded areas to enable residents to take these opportunities.

Sources of advice

• Link to the Department of Health webpage for the Heatwave plan for England 2009, which includes:-
  • Heatwave: supporting vulnerable people before and during a heatwave: advice for health and social care professionals 2009
  • Heatwave: supporting vulnerable people before and during a heatwave - advice for care home managers and staff 2009
• WHO briefing on 2003 heat wave in Europe contains a fairly academic treatment of health vulnerabilities to heat waves, together with some useful practical advice.