Beating the Heat: Keeping Your Residents and Staff Safe

For most of us, summer equals hot. One day to the next, the only question is how hot will it be. While we have AC units and generators, heat can be a resident care issue, a staff safety issue and a liability issue. Here’s what we need to keep in mind.

Why Residents Feel It First

Age alone raises the stakes.

• Adults over 65 don’t regulate body temperature as well, and the CDC reports this group accounts for roughly 36% of heat-related deaths each year.
• A resident with cognitive impairment may not realize they are overheating.
• A resident who can’t get up on their own can’t move somewhere cooler or reach for a glass of water.

Medications are an issue as well. Diuretics, blood pressure and heart medications, antidepressants, sedatives, and some allergy drugs can dull thirst, interfere with sweating, or throw electrolytes out of balance.

Being Mindful of Our Co-Workers

Caregiving is physical. Staff who are lifting and repositioning, pushing carts, cooking on a hot stove, or working in the laundry are generating body heat in rooms that may already be warm. OSHA is paying closer attention to this issue. The basics from OSHA are: water, rest, a cooler space to step away, and training so problems can be caught early.

Heat Exhaustion vs. Heat Stroke

Heat exhaustion symptoms may include sweating, weakness, dizziness, nausea, headache and a racing pulse. Skin tends to be cool, pale, and clammy. Get them to a cool spot, apply cool compresses, and give sips of water.

Heat stroke is a 911 emergency. The body has lost the ability to cool itself. Watch for confusion, slurred speech, agitation, seizures or loss of consciousness. Start active cooling while awaiting 911 response.

A Strong Heat Program Includes

• Hot-weather protocol: frequent hydration rounds and closer watch on at-risk residents
• A medication review to know which residents are on heat-sensitive drugs
• HVAC upkeep and a backup cooling plan, with mindful measures especially in any spaces without strong air conditioning
• Staff training and documentation on staff protocol measures

Heat-related injury in a nursing home or other community is almost always preventable. Following a strong heat protocol is critical to keeping everyone safe.

For more information on keeping your residents and staff safe while decreasing risk, contact Healthcare Risk Services at 601-665-4853 or lanette@hrsins.com.