Melbourne is hot.
Adelaide is hot. And getting hotter.
Today, more Australian cities have a temperature forecast that starts with a three or a four than with a nice, comfortable two. And Sydney is recovering from a tornado.
In other words, summer is here and things are getting crazy.
In between complaining about how hot or not hot it is, in between deciding whether it’s a beach day or a too-hot-for-that movie day, in between worrying about humidity hair at the Christmas party and how to stop the kids overheating during their water fight – in between all of that, let’s remember something else.
When it’s hot, the people next door might need you.
Especially if they’re elderly. Especially if they’re living alone. Especially if they are unwell.
It’s not patronising to knock on someone’s door and make sure they’re okay, that they have cold water in the fridge and something simple and cool to eat.
When taking 10 steps outside becomes untenable because the heat feels like a dead weight on your back, it’s not an invasion of privacy to check in and see if they need something from the shops.
And if being stuck inside on a steaming day is no longer a welcome break from the real world, and has become a claustrophobic jail, offering to take someone for an air-conditioned drive is not an imposition.
For many of us, getting to know your neighbours can seem like another chore on your mind’s never-ending reel of To-Do lists.
But when the weather becomes a dangerous enemy to the vulnerable, finding out if the people around you are doing okay is no longer a nice thing to do that might win you some home-made cupcakes one day. It becomes, literally, a life-saving act.
Adelaide is facing a heatwave at the moment.
Loneliness can kill. Heat can kill. Together they are a formidable foe.
Our to-do lists at this time of year are long and complicated. Reaching out to someone who needs you doesn’t have to be. What’s the worst they can say? I’m fine, thanks, go away?
There are many, many worse things than that. Being busy isn’t one of them.
Top Comments
What's the worst they can say or do?....... expecting you to be there every day,taking them shopping,do their housework,walk the dog....the list is endless and all without a thank you.
Then they become demanding and cranky, just because you have a kind heart and were doing a favour.
I'm not saying not to check on your elderly neighbour. I'm just saying that sometimes a kind heart can be just be made use of and to just be careful.
It's very hot and humid up in FNQ as well!
I live alone and used to always check on my elderly neighbour,give her lifts and take her shopping etc. But then she became really demanding and cranky and I couldn't deal with her any more. She just wanted more and more and I just had to say no.
I've got no one to run around after me or who does anything for me
She had family that lived nearby,but none of them would ever come to visit her or doing anything for her.
Why can't family check on their elderly relatives?
I live by myself and no one comes to check on me to see if Im dead or alive.
I'm not going to be used and made use of just because I have a kind heart.
I have to think of myself,because noone else does.