Almost 13% of Ontario long-term care homes still without A/C in resident rooms

Almost two months since the deadline, 79 of Ontario's 627 long-term care homes have yet to meet a mandatory provincial requirement to install air-conditioning in resident rooms.

The latest numbers as of Aug 18, which the Ministry of Long-Term Care provided, are an improvement from previously reported data from July 19, when 90 homes had yet to comply with the new regulation.

All Ontario long-term care homes were required by law to install air-conditioning in resident rooms by June 22 with "limited temporary exceptions," according to Mark Nesbitt, a spokesperson for the ministry. "All long-term care homes must meet regulatory standards for air-conditioning in resident rooms - and we expect them to get it done as soon as possible."

But homes which remain noncompliant aren't facing any penalties, as some seniors struggle through periods of sweltering summer heat.

Nesbitt advises that's in part because some homes have faced significant challenges: supply chain delays, building-related issues like electrical capacity limitations, even windows that may not allow for portable units to be installed without making structural changes.

He says the ministry is using every tool at its disposal to help get these homes up to speed.

That assurance provided little comfort for the daughter of one long-term care home resident. She says her dad was suffering in 25-degree-plus temperatures in his suite last month at Toronto's Extendicare Bayview.

A COVID-19 outbreak in the home required all residents to isolate in their rooms. Her father's room did not have A/C.

The woman contacted CP24 in July and asked not to be identified to protect her father's privacy.

"When residents are confined to their rooms, how do they keep cool?" she asked.

During a COVID-19 outbreak, Nesbitt advises that homes without air-conditioning in resident rooms may provide cooling supplies to residents and staff and ensure adequate hydration, amongst other supports.

All long-term care homes also have cooling rooms, which is a ministry requirement to ensure a designated area in a home is air-conditioned. The ministry's regulation states the A/C must operate in this room at "a comfortable level" from May 15 to Sept 15.

When the outbreak at Extendicare Bayview ended, and with still no air-conditioning in his room, one option for the woman's father was to spend time in the home's cooling room.

"The people that care for my dad are amazing…but who's going to take him to the cooling room?"

The elderly man suffers from dementia and is often unable to ask for help when he's too hot.

Extendicare Bayview was one of the homes facing electrical infrastructure challenges that prevented them from meeting the regulation deadline. This meant that during a hot stretch in July, only half of their rooms had A/C installed.

Now, a month since the outbreak, some welcome news: a spokesperson for the home confirms every room now has a portable unit.

"We were able to source an external mobile generator for the home, allowing us to increase power capacity ourselves, rather than waiting for the local power authority upgrades. As a result, we are now able to install portable A/C units in all remaining rooms, and have completed this," a spokesperson for the home said.

The Ministry of Long-Term Care confirms Extendicare Bayview has full air-conditioning installed as of August.

For the 79 homes that are still non-compliant, there are rules: daily temperature monitoring of every resident room is required and reported to the Ministry. Those reports are reviewed by the ministry's inspections branch for follow-up.

Ministry spokesperson Mark Nesbitt adds there are "checks and balances" in place for any rule-breakers.

"If an inspection finds non-compliance in a home, the Ministry has several options… including compliance orders, monetary penalties, or even revocation of a facility's licence to operate," Nesbitt said.