The temperature in my nursing home room

When I first went to a nursing home to live in 1996, it was very well air-conditioned. That first summer I thought it would freeze sitting indoors all day. I actually had to go outside for a couple of hours when it was 90 or above to warm up. I went to the back parking lot, sat in a no parking zone, and took a nap. When the shift changed at 3 PM, the aides thought it was so funny that their cars never woke me. It was warm, sunny, and I was alone and quiet. It was mesmerizing and sleep inducing.

But over the years I took less medicine and the air conditioning in my nursing home room did not work as well. It did not work as well in the common areas either. Of course, that nursing home had an older population. Many of them took blood thinners and other drugs that made them cold all the time. I'm sure they enjoyed the warmer temperatures. I, on the other hand, was roasting.

At least in my room there was heating and air conditioning that was adjustable. When I first went there, the thermostat was locked. They had to call maintenance or a nurse to unlock it to turn the AC up, on or off and the same with the heat. After waiting too many times too long for someone official to unlock the thermostat, I told an aide to use a bendy straw to adjust the thermostat. It worked like a charm. I even told the maintenance man about it. He said it was okay because he knew I would not abuse it and make it really hot or really cold. Adjusting the thermostat only affected the temperature of the room. But there was a lady next door who kept her room over 80°. She was older. But I don't think that temperature is healthy for anyone. I had to start using a fan to keep my room cooler.

Over six years ago I moved to this nursing home. Here there is no heater/air conditioner under the window that I can control. We have heat or air conditioning through a ceiling vent. I also had to purchase a window air conditioner because it was so hot in my room that first spring. It's a good thing somebody warned me that this nursing home would not be cool enough for me. I would've been so miserable.

This building may have been built in the 60s or 70s and it probably needs totally remodeled. It's definite that they need new air conditioning units and maybe air handlers.. These ceiling heat vents are something that came out in the 60s because I can remember some friends of my parents having homes built with these atypical ceiling vents. I was used to gas heat and forced air registers on the baseboard. That let the heat rise which makes a certain amount of sense.

The first spring and summer here were so hot. Going out into the common areas is brutal on a really warm day. Some summer days I never left my room. I ate breakfast in the dining room and had a protein bar for lunch and something light for supper. It was certainly too hot to be outside this room. I cannot eat very much when I am too warm on a hot day.

We are having an seasonably warm weather in February 2017. Today its warm in here for some reason. The outside temperature may be in the 50s but the ground is warmer outside which makes a difference. If it doesn't rain and cut some of this humidity, it gets very stuffy in this building. My air conditioner is on. When I use my laptop, it really warms up the area around me..

I also have a table size fan (that can go in quite a high-speed) on the other side of the room for cross breeze. I have it on blowing towards my laptop so that it will move the warm air hopefully away from me.

If anyone who builds, a contractor, a facility developer, or anyone in planning reads this post, please consider well how you do the heating and cooling in  any building for people with disabilities or the aging population. Please make it so residents or their caregivers can easily adjust the heat up and down. It's also nice if the windows open and the screens are maintained so they do not have tears or holes which could allow bugs to get in.

If the owner of my nursing home had to sit in my room and do his work with its present ventilation and no air conditioning, I don't think he could do it.