Local agencies help elderly during hot weather

Dr. Jason Zerrer says seniors have a harder time regulating their bodies, which makes the heat more uncomfortable and dangerous. He said a number of health issues can contribute to the body not regulating properly.

“All of these little factors go into the larger issue of regulatory mechanisms just not working quite as well as they used to,” he said. “Everything is symptom driven. Is it going to be a good idea to go play golf? When you start running errands and you’re not paying attention to your fluid intake, you can get dehydrated relatively quickly.”

Carolyne Anderson goes to the Columbia Senior Center twice a week for yoga classes and bible studies. She says it’s a nice place to cool off from the heat. Anderson doesn’t mind the hot weather, but said having AC in her home is a plus.

“If you have trees around your house and a little breeze, you can get by,” she said. “But it’s nice to have the convenience of air conditioning, especially as you get older.”

The Voluntary Action Center in Columbia offers an air conditioner and fan program for senior citizens who may not have a cool home during the hot summer months. On Tuesday this week, the center had 13 people come in for a new air conditioner window unit.

“We see a lot of senior adults come in for these,” said Nick Foster, Executive Director at the Voluntary Action Center. “We’re glad for our clients to receive the units and be more comfortable in the summer.

The center also has a fan program where they give out free box fans to people in need of a way to cool down their home. Foster said they will give out hundreds of fans over the course of the summer.

For more information on the air conditioner exchange visit the Voluntary Action’s Center website at http://www.vacmo.org/programs/air-conditioner-exchange