Seniors sweltering after ban on portable air conditioners in care homes

As Nova Scotia deals with an unusually hot summer, Wayne King says a lack of air conditioning in rooms at a long-term care facility in the province is dangerous for residents and staff.

King told CBC Radio's Information Morning on Friday that he learned from an administrator at the Musquodoboit Valley Home for Special Care in Middle Musquodoboit, N.S., that a recently released "directive" banned the use of window-installed AC units in resident rooms.

Nova Scotia Health, however, says the facility is currently unable to install air conditioning while an electrical assessment is done.

"A lot of the residents do use window-based AC units and now all they're relying on is fans and some extra hydration, I guess," King said. "The hallways, the residents' rooms, are all very hot on days like this where it's going to be hitting [the] middle thirties." 

The facility does not have a central heating or cooling system, he added.

Concerns over spreading germs

King said his brother, Tim, has lived at the facility for three-and-a-half years. During his first summer at Musquodoboit Valley Home, a window AC unit was purchased for his brother's room and was used for the following summers.

But in late July, after Environment Canada announced a heatwave in the area, King heard from a facility administrator that the window unit was not to be used due to infection control concerns.

"I don't have any problem with infection control and making declarations like that," King said, "the issue I have is that there's been no alternative plan and no explanation to any of the families, as far as I know, that this is the case."

Nova Scotia Health spokesperson John Gillis said Musquodoboit Valley Home, Sutherland Harris Memorial Hospital, South Cumberland Community Care Centre and Bayview Memorial Health Centre are all using heat pumps in common areas and are without air conditioning in individual resident rooms. Taigh Solas and Northside General Hospital 4 East also do not have cooling, he added.

Nova Scotia Health's infection prevention and control recommendations for long-term care facilities say facilities are not to use "portable air conditioning in rooms with residents."

The precautions "help limit the spread of germs (like those that can cause COVID-19, pneumonia, influenza, and whooping cough) through tiny droplets caused by coughing or sneezing," according to a document from Nova Scotia Health.

Gillis said Musquodoboit Valley Home is unable to install any additional air conditioning units until an electrical assessment, which is underway, has been completed. He also wrote that all portable air conditioners need to be on a "dedicated electrical unit" and window ACs can present a fire risk.

Gillis said portable air conditioners should have a filter, be easily cleanable, and must meet safety standards, including around spreading germs. 

"The infection control team published a number of recommendations including the ones regarding the use of portable fans, air conditioners and air purifiers after the onset of the pandemic in 2020," Gillis added. "They're reviewed and updated regularly. The most recent review of that document was July 29 but it hasn't changed since 2020."

CBC News directly reached out to Musquodoboit Valley Home but was directed to speak with Nova Scotia Health.

This comes as Nova Scotia deals with multiple heat warnings from Environment Canada. The federal agency reported maximum temperatures across the province of between 29 and 34 degrees last week. King said the Musquodoboit Valley area gets particularly warm during the summers.

King said he previously reached out to Premier Tim Houston, Long-Term Care Minister Barbara Adams and Health Minister Michelle Thompson by email about the issue, but only received automatic replies.

"If they can provide at least a short-term solution to keep the residents comfortable, and then start working on long-term plans to maybe install HVAC systems in the facilities that don't have it, I think that would be a great help."