Be Cool in Gannawarra

Published on 24 February 2017

BE COOL IN GANNAWARRA
Media Release

A Victorian Climate Change grant is supporting Gannawarra Shire Council to develop a range of resources to assist those most at risk during extreme heat.

Council successfully applied for a $10,000 grant in 2016 to focus attention towards two groups most vulnerable to heat; those aged over 65 years and families with children aged under five years.

The project titled “Be Cool in Gannawarra” has seen Council’s Community Care Home Safety Checklist expanded to include heat as a vulnerability identifier, with clients aged over 65 years assessed as being most vulnerable to heat provided with additional support and checks during extreme heat events. Heat packs to support elderly clients have also been developed and Council’s community care workforce trained to support clients living at home.

Gannawarra Shire Council’s Director Community Wellbeing, Mandy Hutchinson, said that Council supports over 500 community care clients.

“We really needed to identify those clients most at risk during extreme heat,” said Ms Hutchinson. “These clients may live in homes that are not air-conditioned and have few or no family or social support networks to call on when needed.”

“We can now focus our attention towards ensuring these clients are provided with extra support during extreme heat.”

A locally developed media clip under the same name features local mother of three, Tanya Pickering of Lake Meran and Council’s Maternal and Child Health Nurse Elissa Bowler. Providing advice for families with children under five years of age, the media clip highlights the need to increase fluid intake during hot weather, dress children in light clothing and plan activities early in the day.

“A lot of the statewide promotion around heat health focuses on metropolitan areas so we wanted to develop a media clip that provides a rural context relevant to our Gannawarra community,” said Ms Hutchinson. “The media clip will support the delivery of Council’s early years services and encourages community members to look out for others during times of extreme heat, particularly elderly family and neighbours.”

The media clip can be viewed on Council’s You Tube channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5WmayjpWBc and will be officially launched on Friday 3 March at 10.30am at the Kerang Family Play playgroup session at the Kerang Children’s Centre. All welcome.

For more information please contact Council on 5450 9333 or visit council’s website

www.gannawarra.vic.gov.au

…ENDS…

Date: 24 February 2017

Media contact: Katrina Thorne T. 03 5450 9333 M. 0409 616 627