Extreme heat, heat wave tests nursing homes, long term care facilities
The heatwave that slammed the Pacific Northwest proved to be a really valuable lesson for a lot of us.
There were big concerns about our vulnerable communities — specifically how seniors did during the scorching weather.
Murano Senior Living on First Hill didn’t have any major issues during the heat wave.
“Murano is a senior living community for independent, assisted living and residents with memory care needs," said Eric Piekarz, General Manager of The Murano. “We are 24 floors. All 243 apartments that we have do have individual air conditioning in their rooms.”
During the heat wave, residents were encouraged to limit their outdoor activities to the early morning hours.
Other seniors were not as lucky. Many of them managed to beat the heat at a local cooling center.
Greenwood Senior Center had 20 visitors Monday, hottest day of the heatwave.
“We had iced tea and water," said Cecily Kaplan, director of the Greenwood Senior Center. "Yes, staying nice and cool."
Governor Jay Inslee said we may see more extreme heat more often.
“It makes me upset and concerned,” Kaplan said. “If they are going to happen more, we’re going to have to be able to do more.”
Right before the heat wave, staff at Providence Mount St. Vincent scrambled to help residents stay cool. And, community members jumped into action to help.
“We’re doing everything we can right now; I’m out looking for portable air conditioning units,” said Alberto Angekico, Director of Operations for Providence Mount St. Vincent last Friday.
The assisted living care facility only has air conditioning on the fifth floor. With 300 residents and 500 employees there, the heatwave was a big test for everyone.
KOMO News checked back in with them today to see how things went.
They said thank you for the outpouring of community support that helped keep the Mount’s residents cool. And, they went on to say:
“We are conducting assessments of our nearly 100-year old buildings this week and will be purchasing the larger scale cooling units needed to get us through the summer. ”
But they said they are working on long-term solutions.
Washington Health Care Association represents 375 assisted living facilities and about 175 nursing homes. It has already started discussions with the state about changes that need to happen.
“I’ve already called upon the state to release some of the federal funds that they have on a one-time basis to help us immediately improve our HVAC systems and air conditioning systems in our nursing homes," said CEO Robin Dale. "It’s got to be done."
According to Dale, the state's nursing homes and assisted living facilities, for the most part, got through this heatwave unscathed.
“I think we came through OK. But it was tough,” Dale said. “Luckily we did not have a rash of power outages or facilities that lost their air conditioning systems. But, that was just luck but we need to do more to make sure those systems are up to date.”
