On the back of the province s announcement that every long-term care home in Ontario now has air conditioning, advocates are decrying the fact that not all residents have it in their rooms.
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TORONTO All of Ontario’s long-term care homes now have air conditioning in some capacity, but advocates say that it isn’t enough to help seniors beat the heat. The government announced Thursday that 626, or 100 per cent, of long-term care homes have designated cooling areas served by air conditioning. Speaking to reporters virtually, Minister of Long-Term Care Merrilee Fullerton said that last year 13 per cent of homes had no air conditioning at all. “I’m pleased to say that residents and staff in long-term care will be comfortable and cool this summer,” Fullerton said. “Long-term care homes without proper air conditioning in the summer is not only uncomfortable, but it is a health risk. That’s why, in April of this year, we updated regulations under the long-term care act to require that all designated cooling areas in Ontario long-term care homes have air conditioning by May 15, 2021.
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.