As temperatures soared across the Riverina this week, ambulance NSW officer Darren Rudd said an increasing number of elderly were suffering heat-related issues, afraid to turn on their money-chewing air conditioners.

He said heat waves created more casualties than any other disaster or emergency, with heat stress, exhaustion and strokes directly and indirectly resulting in death.  

“It’s quite a sad state of affairs,” Mr Rudd said. “Having to choose between comfort and paying the bills.”

It’s an issue that volunteer support agencies say is getting worse.

Saint Vincent de Paul central council president Jenni Duff said one of the biggest issues lower-income earners faced was the inability to pay unavoidable accounts.

“This time of year we see an increase in people requiring assistance as they struggle to pay electricity and gas,” Ms Duff said.

“They have to ask which comes first: Is it food on the table or switching on the air-con?”

Ms Duff said electricity was something major that everyone should have access to and encouraged anyone experiencing hardship to get in touch. 

“A lot of people are making these tough decisions,” she said. “So please have that assurance we are here to help.”

Ms Duff said she was worried some elderly in the community may not be aware of the support available. 

“Don’t put your health at risk,” she said. “Just ring the welfare office in Edward Street and speak to someone about financial hardship.” 

Griffith resident Elizabeth Hansen said she the cost of staying cool with temperatures getting hotter was a concern for many.

She was left furious after all the air conditioners were removed from community housing properties before she and other residents moved in.

Running four fans and a water-cooling system to stay cool, Ms Hansen said it was the very young and the elderly she was worried about.

Ms Hansen said her 85-year-old mother who lived elsewhere was conscious of her electricity usage, believing she could “deal with the heat”. 

“I imagine others are the same,” Ms Hansen said. “It’s always in the back of your mind when you see the meter spinning round and round.”

Symptoms of heat exhaustion are often recognised too late, according to Ambulance NSW. Wagga paramedics say if you’re feeling thirsty, you are nowhere near hydrated enough and are encouraging residents to simply eat and drink healthily.