The Elderly Housing Association on Tuesday said it has been proactively informing and advising elderly people about an impending cold spell, and has bolstered manpower to support those requiring assistance. Speaking on an RTHK programme, the group's head, Maura Wong, said there has not been a notable uptick in requests for assistance from the elderly lately, adding that a surge in help requests typically occurs approximately three days after a sharp temperature decline. Wong urged senior citizens to prioritise their well-being, cautioning that a significant temperature decrease could greatly affect their health. "Generally, when the temperature drops, we notice several things. The elderly may complain of intensified pain, their blood circulation may not be that good, or they don't exercise or they find they lose their balance and fall, or suffer from dizziness," she said. "In more serious cases, they may experience problems with their trachea." Meanwhile, Cheng Yuen-chung, an assistant director at the observatory, said on the same programme that temperatures could dip as low as 16 degrees on Wednesday and 15 degrees on Friday. He said temperatures in southern China are still within the normal range despite the impact of global warming. "Our preliminary forecast is that the number of cold days this winter will be close to normal. What is considered normal? Generally speaking, the normal range of cold weather days in Hong Kong is 9 to 17 days. Last year, there were 14 cold days, which is within the normal range," he said.
