Care home prepares to keep residents cool in heat
BBCA care home which cares for people with dementia said it had stepped up care and introduced paddling pools in a bid to keep residents cool amid hot weather.
Venns Lane Care Home provides residential care for adults aged 65 and over who have dementia or other physical or mental illnesses and disabilities.
Manager, Lisa Craddock, said they had increased residents' care in terms of food and fluids to try and make sure vulnerable residents stayed hydrated, ahead of high temperatures in the region this week.
"It's really difficult with dementia residents," she said, adding that rooms at the 24-bed home also had to be kept at no more than 24C.
"Our carers are quite good at being able to make sure that periodically they go round and help them with food and fluid, making sure that they've had ice creams, ice pops... Little bits that they can enjoy as well, sometimes like watermelon and cucumber."
The Met Office has issued a red heat warning for parts of the West Midlands from 09:00 on Wednesday to 21:00 BST on Thursday, with people advised to stay out of the sun in peak hours.
Craddock said they wanted to try and make sure that residents were kept comfortable, especially those who were bed-ridden.
"We normally try and make sure that they've got cooler bedding, making sure that we've got fans, making sure that the windows are not too open as the heat sometimes comes in through that anyway," she explained.
Paddling pools had also been introduced at the home in an effort to keep residents cool.
Craddock said such measures were "vital" in extreme heat, especially if residents didn't drink enough as they could develop infections or become dehydrated.
"We had had a few paddling pools around the home just to offer if residents want that so they can keep their hands and feet cool as well, mostly they opt for the hands, because they don't want to put their feet out," she explained.
One resident, Shirley Tringham, 92, described the paddling pool as "lovely" and said it had helped her to cool down.
Lisa McNally, Worcestershire's director of public health, said most people knew how to cope in the weather so their focus was on supporting vulnerable people and those who were most at risk.
"We've been working with social care providers to make sure that both residents in care homes and also [people] being visited at home are being kept safe and well during these really hot temperatures," she said.
McNally added the authority was also giving advice to schools and parents to look after children who may go swimming.
"Unfortunately, we see deaths every year due to that, so that's one of our key messages," she added.
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