The Gloucester County Division of Senior Services will hold its annual Keep Cool fan distribution event on Wednesday, June 24.
The distribution will take place at the Gloucester County Senior Services Offices, located at 115 Budd Boulevard in West Deptford from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
“This year, due to COVID-19, our ‘Keep Cool’ event is a drive-up distribution,” said Freeholder Director Robert M. Damminger. “Summer is on the way, and we want to make sure our seniors are comfortable and prepared.”
The distribution will receive a fan at the front of the Budd Boulevard office, free of charge. After June 24, fans will be available for curb-pick up by contacting senior services at (856) 384-6900.
Due to the limited number of fans and under the guidelines set forth by the Older Americans Act, fans are distributed to seniors 60 and above who must have proof of ID showing Gloucester County address and date of birth.
Seniors must show Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled (PAAD) or Medicaid card to show low income. Those who received a fan from senior services in 2019 are not eligible to receive one this year and one fan per household will be distributed.
“So many of us take our air conditioner for granted, but we have many seniors without access to air conditioning in their homes,” said Freeholder Jim Jefferson, liaison to thedivision of senior services. “In addition to supplying fans to our seniors, we’d like to share some tips to stay cool and beat the heat.”
Gloucester County’s Department of Health and Senior Services recommends the following actions for all county residents to stay safe in the heat:
- Drink plenty of water or other non-alcoholic beverages throughout the day. Proper hydration is very important to ward off heat stroke and heat exhaustion.
- If possible, reduce physical activity or reschedule it for cooler times of the day.
- Wear loose and light-colored clothing. When in the sun, be sure to apply sunscreen to all exposed skin and wear a hat or head covering.
- If you do not have air conditioning in your home, take advantage of any air-conditioned shelters such as libraries, movies, malls, schools or other publicly accessible buildings during the hottest hours of the day.
- Take care not to overdress children and to give them plenty of liquids to drink throughout the day. Children under age 5, particularly those under age 1, are especially sensitive to the effects of heat.
- Check on elderly relatives and neighbors to see if they need help taking proper heat precautions, or if they need medical attention because of the heat. Make sure individuals who are bedridden or have mobility problems have adequate fluids within easy reach.
- Don’t leave children, a frail elderly or disabled person or pets in an enclosed car as temperatures can quickly climb to dangerous levels.
- Talk to your health care provider about any medicine or drugs you are taking. Certain medications, such as tranquilizers and drugs used to treat Parkinson’s diseases, can increase the risk of heat-related illness.
For more information, call the division of senior services at (856) 384-6900 or visit www.gloucestercountynj.gov.
