Since June 1 and until September 15, the heat wave plan has been triggered in France. In Nîmes, about fifteen students, recruited by the Municipal Center for Social Action, take care of the elderly confronted with the heat.
They are recognizable by their marinière. The “heat wave agents” roam the streets of Nîmes in the Gard on their electric bikes. In this period of intense heat, they go out to meet vulnerable people.
“Good morning, how are you doing ? Didn’t you get too hot last night? It was 37 degrees anyway”, asks a young man. “Well, it was, answers a nonagenarian.
For nearly an hour, Tom and Louis, both students in the field of health, establish a diagnosis of the living conditions of the person they are visiting, while the Gard department was placed on heat wave yellow alert on Monday July 17, 2023.
For Thérèse Bachetto, 90, this visit is precious. “It’s important to know that someone is still thinking of you. You know, when you’re old, you don’t have much help”observes the pensioner who avoids “to go to town” during the hot weather.
“People lock themselves in, they lower their blinds, we don’t see anyone! People don’t go out”remarks the Nîmes.
From this heat wave plan management centre, more than 700 elderly or vulnerable people are called throughout the summer.
“We warn people, so that there are no more deaths. Why were there so many deaths in 2003? Because people were getting dehydrated, they didn’t see anyone, they weren’t aware of what to do. There, by preventing them, we hope to avoid tragedies, and moreover, in previous years, there were far fewer deaths than in 2003″explains Véronique Jouve-Sammut,
municipal councilor in charge of disability at the City of Nîmes.
Beyond health prevention, the Gard municipality offers many sports and cultural activities. More than 2,000 seniors find freshness and conviviality there.
Written with Fédérico Nicotra.
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