Does anyone provide aid/assistance for people who don't have air conditioning?
My mom and brother live in a house with no air conditioning. My brother lives with mom, does not drive, and has a full-time job. We have an aide that stays with mom from 8:00 - 12:00. My 82 year old dad has been sitting with mom until the aide gets there, then he comes back until the aide leaves and he has to go and pick my brother up from work. My husband and I bought a portable air conditioner a couple of years ago, but it covers a small area, and even when it's on, the temperature in their house is still in the 80's. Mom has dementia, bathroom issues, and a heart condition, and cannot walk without a walker or assistance in a transport chair. So she never leaves the house unless she is taken to a doctor's appointment. Even then it takes 2 people to help her to the car. Is there anyone who can assist with making mom's house cooler? I am worried that mom or my brother will end up with heat exhaustion. There is no air conditioning where my brother works, either. This weekend the temperature outside is supposed to be almost 100, not including the humidity.
38 Answers
Popular Questions
Related Questions
- My dad is 79 with GBM resection and he keeps eyes shut all the time. He yells back at us if we remind him to keep them open while eating.
- What can I do for my mother that can hardly walk on top of can't do anything for herself? Her bathrooms are not wheel chair accessable.
- Elderly aunt in need of help. Any advice?
- Have C. difficile and need some in home care. Will they help?
Also, unsolicited advice, but summer comes around every year and we have summers here that are as brutal as our winters. Have you considered moving Mom and Brother into an air-conditioned apartment on the bus line? There are some nice ones in The Falls.
For the short run, floor and table model fans work fine, even better if they rotate. Want to get a little more elaborate... install a ceiling fan w/ blades. It's moving the air that really makes the difference in comfort.
A handyman solution is making an air condition from a cooler using a fan and a 4" U shaped plastic pipe connection (see https://tiphero.com/coolest-coleman-cooler ). Amazon has a very good fan for this purpose that uses AC or batteries (Treva 10-Inch Portable Desktop Air Circulation Battery Fan - 2 Cooling Speeds - With AC Adapter) for $22. The plastic pipe connector is about $1.50 and you can use the cheapest Styrofoam or plastic cooler you can find. Styrofoam may be easier because you can cut the lid with a knife. I use silicone sealant because it's gap filling to connect the fan and pipe, but duct tape will do. You just need to freeze ice blocks ahead of time. I have found ice blocks that sit up and not just rest on the bottom of the cooler work best. I use old cottage cheese containers and coffee cans to freeze the blocks, then stack them on a freezer shelf with wax paper between them. As the ice melts, I add more blocks but don't remove the water until the cooler is about half full. I also empty the melted ice water into the sink and use it to wet or dampen wash clothes to cool down. I'm not suggesting you can cool down a whole house this way, but I know you can cool down a room or two.
Close curtains to keep the heat outside. Consider hanging heavier towels or blankets over window curtains in full sun to slow the heating effect. Watch two thermometers, one in the shade outside (like on your porch or under a tree) and one inside your house. Don't open windows anytime it's hotter outside. When the overnight temperature drops and it's actually cooler outside than in, open the windows and use fans to exhaust air on one side of the house while pulling in fresh air on the other side.
Long term economical solution for a home without any HVAC venting may be installing ductless heat pumps. The air exchanger for each zone is mounted on an exterior wall with only two small holes cut through the wall for the hoses from the heat pump. They come in 2-4 zone models and cost from $800-$2500. It takes an electrician to run the electrical lines but you may be able to get someone from Habitat for Humanity to install for free. My brother (the electrician and general handy man) recently installed two units in an older 3BR ranch house; one 3 zone unit for the bedrooms ($1200) and a 2 zone unit on the other end of the house for the eat in kitchen and living room ($800). Your local electric company may sponsor loan programs to purchase and install these units.
Good Luck staying cool this weekend.
One solution to keep them cooler during a heat wave is to wet a sheet and put that over them, then have a fan to blow over the damp sheet. It works better if the sheet is on your skin but may be too much for a senior. At night do the same thing, go to bed with a damp sheet and by the time it dries the weather should be cooler.
Get some electrolytes, whether you order them online or purchase at a local medical and safety supply store or they can drink Gatorade. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are caused because of our electrolytes being to low, sweating causes this to happen, so replenishing these vital nutrients is essential.
Please have your dad take them to, since he is at risk because of his physical activities and being exposed to the same heat.
Move the air around with oscillating fans (I find the low or medium speeds work best). Or ceiling fans (medium speed).
If you have FB, put out an ISO (in search of) for small window ACs & put the reason down (elderly parent). You would be pleasantly surprised how generous people can be.
Before we put in central air on the 2nd floor of our home where the bedrooms are, we had window units in the bedrooms. As our house faces south & there is no shade, those rooms could get HOT. During the day, heavy curtains, blinds & windows closed made a huge difference, as did keeping doors open and the ceilings fans on medium to just move the air around. The ceilings fans would go off, the ACs would go on, & the doors would be shut about an hour or 2 before bedtime. When it was time for bed, the room would be nicely chilled; AC would be turn off, ceiling fan put on low, and door kept shut. Very very effective — and we still do that for the 2 floors without central air.
I don’t like AC much, so I used all the old-fashioned ways of keeping cool. When my husband worked in an environment with no AC & the temps got well above 100 consistently, I would put the AC on in 1 room so he could cool down when he got home. That, and a quick cool shower, did wonders for him.
Oh, and cool cloths nearby, even if just to put on the wrists or neck for a short bit of time. Good luck!
Depending on where your parents live, check to see if there will be any cooling shelters, such as community centers, schools, senior centers that would be open during the day to help the seniors spend their day in air conditioning.
Chances are a motel/hotel would be out of reach cost wise for those really hot days/nights.
Does the house have a basement? If yes, is there an easy access? Basements usually are cooler than the rest of the house. My parents [90+] during a brown-out where the electricity went out, took into the basement lawn chairs and some battery operated lanterns. Of course, one would need to plan ahead for bathroom stops.
Back in the olden days I remember reading that people had upstairs sleeping porches to use on hot nights.
One could get some ice and have a fan blow over the ice. I am making ice now for this weekend in case the power goes out, then I can put ice in zip lock bags and use those to place around me to help cool down.
Make sure there is enough finger type food in case the power does go out and cooking is out of the question.
Be sure and get one that has an energy rating.
-If possible, stay in the lowest room of the house
-Close all curtains
-Close all blinds
-Provide ice water
that cools my core and although Is is still 90+ degrees in the house I am comfortable. If Mum is no longer able to keep her core warm, she may not need AC, but just need hydration.
There are more hot places in the world that do not have AC, than those that do.