Long-term care residents will see more regulations around air conditioning and cooling within their homes this summer.
Minister of Long-Term Care Merrilee Fullerton made the announcement Thursday, citing this as a step forward for residents comfort and safety.
“The new regulations came into effect May 15, and I’m happy to announce that all 626 long-term care homes have informed us that they are in compliance. Last year, nearly 13%, or 79 long-term care homes had no air conditioning at all.”
With these new regulations comes the assurance that a “designated cooling area” will be present in every long-term care home.
Currently, 60 per cent of homes are fully air conditioned, including resident rooms. This number is an improvement from the 42% we saw last summer. 23% more of the homes in the province are working towards becoming fully air conditioned.
This means 17% of homes are not currently attempting to put air conditioning in the rooms of their residents. When questioned about other potential solutions, such as ensuring a fan is in each room, Minister Fullerton mentions the pandemic as a factor.
“The use of fans creates currents of air flow which can be an issue for our transition of COVID-19 within the homes, so we have to be very cautious and vigilant, and understanding the public health requirements, understanding the science behind how COVID-19 moves. There is a balance to be had especially as more science emerges about the transition of COVID-19. Fans might be a solution in some instances, but we have to be very cautious how we address this using the expertise of our public health experts and scientists.”
Fullerton goes on to state that 83% of long-term care homes will be fully air conditioned by this summer.
Ontario’s NDP leader Andrea Horwath was not convinced by Minister Fullerton’s announcement, believing this move should have happened years ago and that every resident room should be air conditioned.
“Seniors will still be stuck in sweltering rooms this summer, fading away from the heat. We’ve known for decades this is a dangerous and cruel problem to ignore — it should not take years to get air conditioning installed.”
