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Amid rising global temperatures, frail elderly individuals are increasingly facing heightened health risks. To address this challenge, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Jockey Club Institute of Ageing (IOA), the Christian Family Service Centre (CFSC) and the Hong Kong Red Cross (HKRC) have launched a three-year community heat action project. Funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, the Jockey Club “Beat the Heat” Project commenced in 2024, with the goal of mitigating the impact of extreme heat on the city’s senior population. The project aims to provide personalised strategies for elderly people to cope with extreme heat. Preliminary results indicate that the implementation of evidence-based risk assessments, coupled with robust community support, effectively reduces the health burden placed on elderly residents during periods of intense heat.

Project background

The ongoing impact of climate change has resulted in record-breaking temperatures and longer heatwaves in Hong Kong in recent summers. Older adults – especially those who are frail and socioeconomically deprived – are among the most vulnerable to heat-related illnesses.

Professor Jean Woo, Director of the IOA, remarked: “In a city where summers are getting hotter, it is not just the temperature that matters, it is whether an older adult has the physical reserves to cope.” She added that the Jockey Club “Beat the Heat” Project is designed not only to support individuals but also to strengthen broader community preparedness and awareness, particularly among older adults, in relation to climate-related health risks and coping strategies.

Dr Eric Lai, Co-Principal Investigator of the Jockey Club “Beat the Heat” Project , said: “Frail older adults face heightened health risks under extreme weather conditions, more discomfort at home, more heat symptoms and worse overall health. They therefore warrant more attention in community heat mitigation efforts.”

The Jockey Club “Beat the Heat” Project, funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust and launched in March 2024, aims to mitigate the health impacts of extreme hot weather on older adults. A pioneering initiative in Hong Kong, the programme comprises multiple components, including enhancing public awareness of and preparedness for heat-related health issues, developing heat maps to identify district-level hot and cool spots, and providing targeted support services to vulnerable older adults.

Intervention measures for vulnerable older adults

The IOA has developed a framework and assessment tools to identify older adults at risk and to establish an intervention protocol. The CFSC and HKRC are responsible for delivering services to community-dwelling older adults in Kwun Tong and Yau Tsim Mong, respectively. Over the past two years, more than 1,500 people have benefited from the  Jockey Club “Beat the Heat” Project.

Older adults are screened using seven criteria to assess their risk level. Those identified as being at medium or high risk receive tailored interventions, including heat-relief supplies, home environment evaluations and minor home modifications, such as a wall fans, curtains and decluttering. Additionally, project staff provide education on heat-mitigation strategies and the identification of heat-related symptoms.

Beyond household-level interventions, the Jockey Club “Beat the Heat” Project establishes Cooling Stations and organises elderly-friendly social activities in air-conditioned venues to provide respite and engagement. This is complemented by proactive outreach from community volunteers, who identify and monitor high-risk older adults living alone, creating a robust safety net that empowers those people to take preventive action during extreme weather.

Many older adults suffer from chronic cardiovascular diseases and face an increased risk of heat stroke due to poor ventilation at home. In Kwun Tong, the CFSC recognises this, with the outreach social worker team educating and empowering elderly residents to make behavioural changes and manage their health to prevent heat-related illnesses. The team also conducts home assessments and installs targeted cooling modifications for those in need.

“Rather than relying solely on their physical sensations or subjective judgments to assess heat risk, they have begun referring to thermometer readings or environmental temperature data to decide when to take heat prevention measures,” said the representative

In Yau Tsim Mong, the HKRC focuses on enhancing the community’s capacity to respond to health emergencies. Project staff conduct home health checks, while registered nurses provide medical advice, medication guidance and interventions to improve health behaviours. For service users encountering mental health and community well-being issues, the team’s social workers also arrange case follow-ups, counselling and referral services.

Mr Jimmy So, Registered Nurse at HKRC, said: “Many service users, especially singletons, those with chronic illnesses or those with limited awareness of heat-related risks, are unaware that blood glucose and blood pressure levels may fluctuate during extreme heat. Decluttering and controlling indoor humidity can lower indoor and perceived temperature; these are not just household chores but essential measures to protect health.”

Evaluation results

An evaluation of the health impact on older adults who have received support over the past two years has shown positive health-related effects. Quantitative analysis of participant data indicates that the most significant improvement is heat-health knowledge, followed by improved quality of life and mental health, an increased likelihood of feeling cooler at home, better self-rated health and reduced heat-related symptoms, as summarised below.

Note: All changes are statistically significant and based on adjusted risk ratios.

One of the Jockey Club “Beat the Heat” Project participants, Mr Wong, a single older adult living in a subdivided unit in Yau Tsim Mong, has long suffered from chronic diseases and the challenges of household clutter. Participating in the project helped him become more aware of the health risks posed by extreme heat. He said: “I now understand that hot weather can affect blood pressure and blood sugar and may aggravate asthma. Clutter blocks air circulation, making the home hotter and increasing the risk of indoor heatstroke.”

In Kwun Tong, another participant of the Jockey Club “Beat the Heat” Project, Ms Lee admitted that she had previously been unaware of the seriousness of heat-related risks and knew little about how to cope with extreme heat. She said: “During home visits by project staff, I learned about the dangers heat poses to me and gained valuable knowledge of how to stay cool, such as drinking plenty of water, ensuring good ventilation and monitoring indoor temperature and humidity levels. If the weather becomes excessively hot, I can now take immediate action to protect myself and avoid heatstroke.”

The way forward

Based on the insights from the Jockey Club “Beat the Heat” Project , the IOA will develop a community service protocol next year. It will document the project’s findings and make recommendations to support potential uptake by government departments and the social service sector, enabling organisations to replicate and scale a coordinated service .

For more information about the programme, please visit: https://beattheheat.cuhk.edu.hk