The family of a 91-year-old Richmond woman has expressed safety concerns, after the temperature in her hospital room hit almost 30 C last week.
Mary Ramage’s elderly mother was admitted to Richmond Hospital after a terrible fall and was placed in a west-facing room on the fourth floor of the North Tower on July 19.
However, by Friday, July 21, Ramage described the room as “inhumanely hot” and recorded a temperature of 29.4 C inside the room where windows were allegedly “nailed” shut, which she said hospital staff cited as a safety precaution for patients.
This was one day after Richmond experienced outdoor temperatures reaching a high of 28.8 C, according to Environment Canada weather data.
Ramage told the Richmond News they were unable to submit a complaint to Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) by phone as the number was unreachable on the weekends and was asked to submit and email complaint instead on Monday.
“They told her that nothing could be done about the windows being nailed shut, that’s just the way it is,” said Ramage, adding she would have brought in a portable air conditioner if they had access to an open window.
Instead, garbage bags were hung on the windows to block out the sun, but hospital staff told them it was not allowed and had to be taken down.
Ramage and her husband brought their own fan and cooling towels to keep the senior as cool and as comfortable as possible in the heat.
“Part of the trouble is it’s just this room on this ward that’s this hot,” said Ramage.
“As soon as you walk out into the hallway it feels cooler.”
Hospital staff trying to fix AC: Patient's daughter
Hospital staff came into the room on Tuesday and explained they were “going to try to fix the AC,” but in the meantime they provided fans with “basins of ice under the fans” in the evening.
While Ramage’s mother is expected to be discharged soon, she’s concerned for other seniors that may be put in the same room.
“It’s appalling to treat seniors this way,” she said.
“I’m just concerned for the other patients that are in there … (because) many of them can’t advocate for themselves.”
VCH claims all inpatient rooms and units in Richmond Hospital have functioning air conditioning, and windows in the four North units can also be opened. Patients and families can also ask for standing fans when their rooms get too warm.
"All of the windows in this particular unit have safety bars over the windows to prevent people from leaving or accidents," said a VCH spokesperson, adding that the safety bars don't prevent windows from being opened.
"Vancouver Coastal Health is committed to the health and safety of everyone in our care. We understand the difficulty some of our most vulnerable patients may have during periods of hot and dry weather throughout our region."
