Mortality In The 1995 Chicago Heat Wave
In the 1995 Chicago Heat Wave, mortality was related to living alone in that living along doubled a person’s chance of not surviving the heat wave. On the other had, and form of social connection lessened the chance of dying. Some of the main reasons that this relationship exists are because most of the people living along were older people and increasingly people with poor mobility were living alone. Living alone as an aging person was thought to be the ideal way for them to live because it gave them independence and a degree of control. However, this also isolated older people more from social contact and support networks, which lessened their chances of surviving the heat wave. Seniors living alone also dealt more poorly with acute health
crises and did poor in recognizing new health problems. The Chicago City Commission also gave the reason that they were less likely to accept help, which may have lessened their chances of survival. Some of the key structural and cultural developments before the heat wave that influenced housing patterns include the demographic shift stated above. Not only were more seniors living alone but also more people with bad mobility and barriers to socializing often were living alone. This came from a cultural belief that living alone was good for older people. In conjunction with that, many of the seniors living alone were poor which also contributes to bad health. Another cultural development was of a “culture of fear”; people (particularly older people) had a perception of higher crime than in reality causing them to avoid going out often since they were alone and thus limiting social contact. There was also a structural change which led to the lessening of public spaces and public programs which encouraged socializing particularly in poverty stricken areas, which had high rates of illness, crime and violence thus reinforcing the isolation they already experienced. Another thing was that, older men tended to live alone, particularly those who had addictions and the illnesses that came along with those diseases. All these developments, contributed to heat wave related death being disproportionately concentrated among older people living alone in poorer areas of Chicago where they were afraid to go out, had no where to go out too and not very willing to accept help.
crises and did poor in recognizing new health problems. The Chicago City Commission also gave the reason that they were less likely to accept help, which may have lessened their chances of survival. Some of the key structural and cultural developments before the heat wave that influenced housing patterns include the demographic shift stated above. Not only were more seniors living alone but also more people with bad mobility and barriers to socializing often were living alone. This came from a cultural belief that living alone was good for older people. In conjunction with that, many of the seniors living alone were poor which also contributes to bad health. Another cultural development was of a “culture of fear”; people (particularly older people) had a perception of higher crime than in reality causing them to avoid going out often since they were alone and thus limiting social contact. There was also a structural change which led to the lessening of public spaces and public programs which encouraged socializing particularly in poverty stricken areas, which had high rates of illness, crime and violence thus reinforcing the isolation they already experienced. Another thing was that, older men tended to live alone, particularly those who had addictions and the illnesses that came along with those diseases. All these developments, contributed to heat wave related death being disproportionately concentrated among older people living alone in poorer areas of Chicago where they were afraid to go out, had no where to go out too and not very willing to accept help.