Nonprofits join wellness check efforts for seniors during Chicago area heat wave

Nonprofits like Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly are helping with wellness checks on senior citizens as a dangerous heat wave hits the Chicago area.

A team at the organization has been hitting the phones all day, calling seniors to make sure they have working air conditioning, water to drink, food, their medications and generally are staying safe during the extreme heat.

Heath Dudzinski, program director with Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly, said connecting by phone and having a conversation is important.

With temperatures lingering for days in the 90s and the heat index pushing the feels-like into the triple digits, this kind of heat wave reminds Dudzinski of the summer of 1996 when hundreds of Chicagoans died.

"In that year, the heat happening and without having a coordinated effort like we have now – when you know better, you do better – we had a lot of individuals, especially older adults who didn't have people checking in on them. Friends, neighbors, family," she said.

Dudzinski and her team are calling about 100 seniors over the next couple of days, and will be checking in with them again before the end of the week.