It’s about the “Hot floor”already active in each of the seven territorial districts of the Modena Local Health Authority: in particular for the Modena District, as part of the synergy that has been present for years on various fronts between the District Management and the Primary Care Department of the Local Health Authority and the Services of the Social Policies Sector of the Municipality of Modena, a coordination it’s a operating group (consisting of social workers, community nurses, care workers, all capable and responsive in dealing with emergencies due to heat waves reported by ARPAE), whose contacts are shared to ensure immediate availability and activationwhile an “action plan” specifies in detail the prevention and assistance initiatives.
(In the photo: from left Erica Salvo of the Primary Care Department, Andrea Spanò Director of the Modena District, councilor Roberta Pinelli and Annalisa Righi of the Municipality of Modena)
These provide for the mapping of people living at home at highest risk – with particular attention to conditions of solitude and isolation – and the availability of a toll-free number (800493797)operational until 15 September, for listening, orientation and activation of assistance services dedicated to fragile citizens. For emergencies, you must immediately call 118.
If alarm situations arise, based on ARPAE reports, the plan provides for the activation of interventions towards the citizens most at risk: from the possibility of temporary access to a cooler place in local facilities and services for people in fragile conditions, during the hottest hours of the day, at home delivery of groceries, meals or medicinesgive her follow-up phone calls to verify the state of healthto the reporting – by General Practitioners – of situations of fragility to the Territorial Operations Center (COT), which will be able to activate telephone monitoring through the telemedicine service.
The Local Health Authority also guarantees surveillance of the health outcomes of heat waves, active since 2003.
Ten tips against the heat – It is also essential to raise awareness among the population, insisting on personal measures to contrast the summer heat. The Local Health Authority has summarized it in a handbook, which can be found on the dedicated page of the company portal www.ausl.mo.it/piano-caldo-2023, a series of practical advice concerning, for example, daily life habits, such as avoiding going out during the hottest hours from 11 to 18, nutrition (drinking water and eating light foods), clothing (wearing light clothes and comfortable), but also indications on home management (using curtains and closing the shutters during the hottest hours) useful for all citizens and therefore translated into several languages. On days of scorching heat, the climate discomfort index is at its highest levels and puts a large segment of the population at risk of heat-related illnesses.
Sunstroke and heatstroke, the differences – Such as, for example, sunstroke, which involves an increase in body temperature due to solar radiation and inadequate protection, and can be associated with burns on the skin or on the head. This can also happen in the mountains, where temperatures are lower but the effects of UV rays are greater.
On the other hand, heat stroke can also occur indoors or in the absence of the sun, when the outside temperature is very high and is associated with a high level of humidity or lack of ventilation, conditions to which the body is unable to adapt . The initial symptoms, such as weakness, fever, lowering of blood pressure, nausea and vomiting, can be very subtle: knowing them helps to understand their gravity and to intervene in the most appropriate way.
Connected to the heat and excessive sweating there is also the risk of dehydration: the body loses more fluids than it takes in and the balance of mineral salts and sugars is altered.
Support for caregivers, including psychological support – In planning in the social-health field, great attention is paid to caregivers, the link between patients and operators but above all a precious resource that supports local professional interventions.
The Modena Local Health Authority, with the collaboration of the Corporate Clinical Psychology Sector, has activated a call center to support and guide family caregivers as part of the provincial transversal activities planned by the Caregiver Project.
The service, which can be reached on 059 5137124, is active on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10 to 13 and represents one of the access points to the social and health interventions envisaged by the Ausl in favor of citizens who daily assist a relative at home , aware that assisting a loved one can be tiring on a physical, psychological, economic and relational level.
The number provides individual and group psychological support interventions, both face-to-face and online, for anyone who voluntarily and knowingly takes on tasks of assisting and caring for a sick or disabled family member.
The family caregiver can report high levels of emotional stress, physical tiredness, social isolation, frustration, due to the significant load they are subjected to. Once activated, the service operators identify, within the psychological services of the Modena Local Health Authority, the most suitable path for the requesting caregiver, who is contacted again as soon as possible for an initial assessment interview.