With the hot summer months fast approaching, Ontario has mandated all long term care facilities have proper air conditioning to keep residents comfortable and safe.
Long Term Care Minister Merrilee Fullerton says all 626 long term care homes in Ontario are now in compliance.
“Last year nearly 13%, or 79 long term care homes, had no air conditioning at all. this summer, residents of those 79 homes will be able to keep cool during hot, summer months.”
Fullerton says designated cooling areas will be in place in all homes, however the installation process for some LTC facilities has been slower due to aging buildings.
“The top end of the temperature range is 26 degrees. There are instances where homes have had to have repairs, so that might be a temporary blip for those homes, but they need to get back on track and we’ll be monitoring this with inspections and the homes will be required to provide us with information on their progress.”
As it stands, 60% of LTC homes in Ontario have full air conditioning throughout, including resident rooms. That compares to 42% last summer.
There are seven long term care facilities in Chatham-Kent and 12 rest and retirement homes.