Heatwave ready Tasmania:   Building capacity in Tasmania’s aged care sector to respond to heatwaves — YRD
  1. Schedule
  2. Hot in the City 1: Coping with Heat (Speed Talk)
  3. Heatwave ready Tasmania:   Building capacity in Tasmania’s aged care sector to respond to heatwaves

Heatwave ready Tasmania:   Building capacity in Tasmania’s aged care sector to respond to heatwaves (2931)

Sharon Campbell 1 2 , Amber Sturges 3 , Robert Hill 4 , Carole Owen 2
  1. University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia
  2. Public Health Services, Department of Health and Human Services, Hobart, TAS, Australia
  3. Tasmanian Climate Change Office, Department of Premier and Cabinet, Hobart, TAS, Australia
  4. Aged and Community Services Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia

Background

Extreme heat is not a normal part of the Tasmanian summer experience. However, heatwaves do occur and are projected to occur more frequently and with greater intensity into the future. Vulnerable Tasmanian populations are typically ill-equipped to respond to and cope with extreme heat events. Research demonstrates that the elderly are one of the most at-risk groups during extreme heat events.

Objectives

To build the capacity of residential aged care facilities in Tasmania to adequately prepare for and respond to heatwave events.

Methods

Resources aimed at building the capacity of the residential aged care sector to respond to heatwaves already exist in Victoria. These resources were trialled with five residential aged care sites around Tasmania. Feedback was sought from these sites as to the suitability of the resources for the Tasmanian situation, with the aim of developing resources specific to Tasmanian needs.

Results

Following the trial, feedback from 100% of pilot sites indicated the existing resources did not adequately reflect the specific requirements of the Tasmanian aged care sector, and therefore were unlikely to be used in their existing form. Workshops with pilot sites then assisted in the development of a suite of resources specific to the Tasmanian context.

Conclusions

The Tasmanian experience of heat characterises the needs of the resources required. Consultation and feedback with users is a critical component of resource development. The importance of regional experiences and differences must be planned for and taken into account, and it cannot be assumed that ‘one size fits all’.