‘Can’t afford to live’: California heatwave leaves older adults teetering on edge

Extreme temperatures, especially in the state's interiors, has left the vulnerable population reeling from the heat's effects

When temperatures soar over 100F in Fresno, California, Kathleen Dortland sometimes has to choose: the air conditioner or the oxygen machine?

The small AC unit in the bedroom of the fifth-wheel trailer she shares with her four cats doesn't cool much of the house, but without it her home is uninhabitable. She also needs the oxygen that she has relied on since cancer weakened her lungs. This week as California faced a punishing heatwave, Dortland had to run both devices at the same time and she was painfully aware of what that would cost her.