COPE (A Comprehensive Approach to Enhance Older Adults’ Preparedness for Extreme Heat) Study
Over the last two decades, there has been a 54% increase in heat-related deaths among older adults worldwide. Addressing this risk is imperative to older adults’ health. Physiological and socioeconomic vulnerabilities place older adults at a greater risk for experiencing adverse health and well-being effects caused by increased temperatures. As extreme heat is expected to become more frequent amid global climate change, COPE study aims to be at the forefront of this research.
By collaborating with older adults and experts in the community, including local healthcare authorities and senior service providers, they will create comprehensive adaptation and mitigation plans to enhance older adults’ preparedness for extreme heat.
COPE study has three components: COPE-Daily, COPE-Engage and COPE-Co-create.
It is important to note that older adults are key stakeholders on this project, as they co-lead the research team alongside academics and international partners in the third/public sectors. They will help inform the research team about the resources, demands, and challenges that affect them at the individual and community levels. Findings from this research will be used to improve the services available to older adults and ensure that organizations in the community are equipped to manage the aftermath of extreme temperature changes. Furthermore, this project will also help improve community services by drawing on local older adults’ lived experiences to develop plans catered to their needs under extreme heat.
A Comprehensive Approach to Enhance Older Adults’ Preparedness for Extreme Heat (COPE) – Engage
The number of extreme heat days is expected to increase due to climate change, leading to higher mortality rates, particularly among older adults who are most vulnerable to heat-related health risks. COPE-Engage was created to assess the adaptive capacity of older adults through focus group interviews.
The goal of COPE-Engage project is to evaluate the effectiveness of community-based programs, policies and strategies that have been developed to support older adults during extreme heat events, highlighting successes and identifying areas for improvement. To assess the level of awareness about and use of community-based supports and resources by older adults during extreme heat events, focus group interviews will be conducted with older adults living in multi-unit housing. Additionally, semi-structured interviews will be conducted with staff members from health authorities, municipal government, community-based service sector, as well as housing providers to understand the efficacy of existing strategies, services and programs. This will be done in the initial years of this project.
During these interviews and focus group sessions inquiry will be made on best practices in coping and managing extreme heat events, including the barriers and facilitators influencing use and development of services and programs. After the data collection and analysis phase, the project team will focus on developing action plans through co-creation workshops with community partners including older adults. One of the main goals of these co-creation workshops is to foster collaboration between older adults and community partners to develop effective heat management strategies that involve coordination between community organizations and public services. Finally, knowledge mobilization tools such as videos and photo boards will be developed to facilitate dissemination of project findings through social media postings, blog posts, community forums, academic presentations and publications. The goal is to guide authorities by engaging older adults to develop strategies that enhance coordination between community organizations and public services. The advisory board meets virtually every three months.
