Hitze: 40 Grad im Pflegeheim? Warum Hitzeschutz in der Pflege eine Seltenheit ist
Nur wenige Pflegeheime sind auf extreme Hitze vorbereitet. Die, die es sind, zahlen für die Maßnahmen vor allem selbst. Die Politik sucht noch nach konkreten Antworten.
In Dinslaken, a nursing home called the Alfred-Delp-House, temperatures reached 40 degrees Celsius, highlighting a rare case of adequate heat protection in nursing facilities. Resident Heidemarie Pavsek, 85, finds the heat tolerable in her room, but struggles in the heat. The Alfred-Delp-House stands out among 80 residents with good heat protection, with only 14.5% of new social facility buildings equipped with air conditioning, according to the German Krankenhausgesellschaft (DKG).
Heat is more dangerous for older people, with over 12,500 deaths attributed to heat nationwide in 2023, including 2,300 in NRW. Two nursing homes in Dormagen and Krefeld were temporarily closed due to the heat last June. Health experts criticized Chancellor Friedrich Merz for insufficient engagement in climate adaptations like heat protection in healthcare, a claim he denied.
The federal government has stated that heat protection falls under regional and municipal jurisdiction. NRW Minister of Health Karl-Josef Laumann visited the Alfred-Delp-House to assess heat protection measures, calling for financial assistance from the federal government to alleviate the burden on facilities. Despite the existence of heat action plans in Hesse, which have been in place since 2004, there is limited focus on cooling technology.
Laumann emphasizes the need for individual efforts by nursing homes to decide on appropriate measures, citing financial constraints.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
