Heatwave Hazards

Understanding Community Resilience to Heatwave Hazards – findings from the emBRACE Project. Support elderly-led learning to reduce heatwave risk: evidence for resilience building from the 2013 London heat wave

The elderly often have considerable knowledge about how to manage heatwave risk. This includes creative and innovative ideas. But knowledge is not always applied. Lack of knowledge application is strongest when associated with the rejection of top-down information strategies which are seen as invasive or an expression of a nanny-state. In rejecting top-down information, the elderly can be left insulted, alienated and fatalistic – unless this can

be challenged.

Community spaces for elderly-led learning, including but not limited to heatwave-risk management, can provide a solution to this problem.

Managing heatwave risk can be enhanced where local authorities and other carers facilitate the elderly to consider their own risk and how this can be managed – top-down public information campaigns miss this opportunity and while they may reach those most at risk they may not lead to behaviour change.

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The emBRACE Consortium 2015. EU Project emBRACE: Briefing Note 1. Understanding Community Resilience to Heatwave Hazards – findings from the emBRACE Project

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9RBeBGSyVgFQktPZFE0clc5QXM/view?usp=sharing

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