Brutally hot summer for everybody, but especially elders

Today's hot and muggy, right? 今日暑いですね。 In the summer, it's the most common greeting I hear from the supermarket staff, friends, and neighbours. Many of the folks who greet me are シルバー人材, shiruba jinzai, elders doing light work post-retirement. They're always up for a chat, and right now, the topic of conversation is 酷暑日, kokushobi, or cruelly hot weather.

The shachi, a sea creature talisman at Himeiji Castle in summer

A shocking report from Nippon Terebi reveals many pensioners soldier on in this brutal heat with minimal to no use of aircon. They retreat to shopping centers, supermarkets, and transport systems to beat the heat. Good on them for resourcefulness, but please look out for them, as they tend to scrimp on household aircon. 

I can manage the higher electric bill in summer as a salaried worker. But also mitigating the heat in the cheapest way I can. I drape wet towels and blankets on my veranda and do uchimizu daily to try to reduce the heat. 

Have you got any strategies for coping with kokushobi? How are you helping your roasting elders?