Climate change effects in older people's health: A scoping review.
Eva Mª Montoro-Ramírez, Laura Parra-Anguita, Carmen Álvarez-Nieto and 2 others
PMID 38895960WHAT IT FOUND
Heat, cold, air pollution and extreme weather are linked to more hospitalizations, deaths, cognitive decline and mental health problems in older adults.
Nurses should monitor dehydration, breathing, heart, kidney and mood changes during climate events.
Key findings
01Intense heat can reduce kidney function in older patients taking antihypertensive medication and raises hospitalization risk for renal, respiratory, heat-related causes and hyperthermia, especially in people over 85.
02Heat waves put older adults at higher risk of admission for heat stroke, sunstroke, heat exhaustion, dehydration, fluid and electrolyte disorders, kidney failure and urinary tract infections.
03Heat stress reduces verbal ability and mathematical reasoning in people over 65, and chronic traffic-related air pollution is associated with accelerated cognitive impairment by about 2 years.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Most included studies analysed people over 65 as a subpopulation rather than as the specific study population, so the findings may not fully capture how climate change affects this group alone. The search may have missed some specific exposures, such as extreme heat, floods, extreme precipitation, typhoons, hurricanes and particular air pollutants. Heat waves, air pollution thresholds and mental or neurological outcome measures were not defined consistently across studies, making direct comparison difficult. Most included studies were observational or cross-sectional, so they show associations rather than proven causes. Research was concentrated in developed countries, leaving gaps in low- and middle-income settings. There is limited evidence on drought and vector-borne disease impacts.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. One author received a grant from the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities of the Government of Spain, and the funder was not involved in the research or preparation of the article.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that any specific nursing action prevents climate-related harm. The review maps associations from observational studies and does not test interventions.