The following people are most at risk:

• Those over the age of 75
  
• Infants and young children
  
• Overweight or obese
  
• Pregnant or breastfeeding
  
• Not very mobile
  
• Not drinking enough water
  
• Living by themselves or homeless
  
• Socially isolated
  
• Working in a hot environment (for example labourers, gardeners, fire fighters)
  
• Exercising vigorously in the heat
• People who have a chronic illness such as: heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer or kidney disease, mental illness, dementia, alcohol or other drug use
• People who have an acute illness such as: an infection with fever, gastroenteritis (diarrhoea and/or vomiting)​

How to stay healthy in the heat

• Drink plenty of water even if you do not feel thirsty – check the colour of your wee – if it’s pale you’re drinking enough (check out theurine colour chart).
  
• If your doctor normally limits your fluids, check how much to drink during hot weather.
  
• Avoid alcoholic, hot or sugary drinks including tea and coffee (they can make dehydration worse).
  
• If you go outside, carry a bottle of water with you.
  
• Stock your fridge with cold water and freezer with ice.

• Drink cold drinks and eat smaller cold meals such as salads and fruit.
  
• Wear light coloured, loose fitting clothes made from natural fibres like cotton.
  
• Stay out of the sun.
  
• If you must go outside, apply sunscreen, wear a hat.
  
• Plan your day around the heat – avoid being outdoors between 11am and 5pm.
  
• Put wet towels or cool packs on your arms or neck or put your feet in cool water.
  
• Take cool showers or baths.
  
• Minimise physical activity, do all household chores early in the morning when it is cools

• Cool your house by closing windows, shutting curtains and blinds, opening windows at night if you can to let in cool air.
  
• Use air-conditioning if you have it (make sure it’s set to cool).
  
• If you don’t have air-conditioning, spend time in a cool place like a library, shopping centre or cinema.
  
• Know which room in your house is the coolest (this will often be on the ground floor on the south side).
  
• If there is no power or you can’t get to an air-conditioned space, spend time in the coolest part of your house.
  
• Use your stove and oven as little as possible.

• Visit or telephone elderly friends, neighbours and relatives, at least once a day.
  
• Check that they have water in the fridge.
  
• Encourage them to drink.
  
• Help them to find the coolest room in the house.
  
• Consider taking them to a cool place (e.g. shopping centre, library or cinema).
  
• Take particular care to keep children cool and get them to drink lots as they won’t often do this by themselves.
  
• Never leave babies, children or animals alone in a car even if the air-conditioner is on.

• Know who to call if you need help.
  
• Follow your doctor’s advice if you have any medical conditions.
  
• If you feel unwell, seek medical advice from your doctor or nearest hospital.
  
• Know where to find your emergency kit in case of a power failure.
  
• Keep an eye on the weather forecast.
  
• Know what to do in case of a bushfire. Information on bushfire preparedness is available from the NSW Rural Fire Service.

• Continue to drink plenty of fluids so your body can get back in balance.
  
• Take time to rest and recover as coping with extremely hot weather can be very tiring.
  
• Go to your doctor if you feel unwell after the heat has passed.
  
• Open windows and doors to let your house cool down but make sure you don’t compromise the security of your home.
  
• Contact family and friends to see if they have coped during the heat and if they now need help with anything.
  
• Think about how well you coped during this time of extreme heat and what, if anything, you would do differently next time.
  
• Make any changes in your home so it will be more comfortable for you during another time of extreme heat (see How to prepare for a heat wave).