“Be extra vigilant to avoid heat stroke”: in Hérault, nursing homes are being tested against heat waves

Ginette, Lucie, Simone and Catherine are understandingly complying with the new rules, given the heat. Midi Libre – GIACOMO ITALIANO

In establishments welcoming a vulnerable public, the blue plan was triggered at the beginning of summer. This is the case at the Ehpad L’Ostal du Lac, in Crès, which received a visit from the prefect of Hérault this Friday, August 9.

"We are staying safe inside and avoiding going out these days. It's not so much that it's forbidden, it's mainly us who prohibit it. We know that we must not take any risks with these temperatures." This Friday, August 9 at L’Ostal du lac, it’s a glass of water for everyone.

Especially for Marie-Chantal, Ginette, Lucie and Simone who, seated near the air conditioning in the common room, observe the comings and goings with an amused look. The prefect of Hérault, François-Xavier Lauch, and the departmental director of the ARS, Mathieu Pardell, came to see the precautions taken by the staff of this nursing home in Crès while Hérault was placed on heatwave alert level Orange this Friday for the second time this season.

Redoubled vigilance in nursing homes

“Here we don't feel in danger, we know that the staff is vigilant and that they take care of us. And then in Hérault, we are used to high temperatures. Even if it's not the most pleasant, especially at night…", Ginette says. Since the mercury has exceeded 31 °C, it has been very strongly discouraged for residents of the establishment, which also welcomes people with disabilities.

Beyond 31°C, residents are asked not to go out. Midi Libre – GIACOMO ITALIANO

“This is one of the measures we are putting in place to prevent heat stroke, explains Pascal Segault, the director. With the move to orange alert, we have also added an additional hydration round. With age, neurodevelopmental disorders appear and change perceptions. Older people become less sensitive to the sensation of heat and thirst. We must be extra vigilant to avoid heat stroke.” Skinfold technique, special attention to falls or disorientation, urine control… staff are trained to spot the first signs of dehydration in these vulnerable people.

The challenge is not to saturate the emergency rooms

“This is a decisive step, insists the Hérault director of the ARS, Mathieu Pardell. In summer, the emergency rooms in our department are already operating at full capacity with the presence of holidaymakers (40,000 patients already received in July in Hérault, i.e. 15,000 more than a normal month, Editor's note). A poorly managed heat wave means an additional influx of at-risk patients into hospital departments and a dangerous build-up of tension. With visible effects only three to fifteen days later."

The prefect of Hérault visited a nursing home in Crès this Friday. FREE MIDI – GIACOMO ITALIANO

In specialized establishments, everything has changed since the dramatic heatwave of 2003 and its 15,000 deaths. Since 2005, a blue plan has appeared in each of them. Activated since June 15, and until September 15, it details the procedures put in place in the event of a risk, in particular, of rising temperatures. Another change in the 148 nursing homes in Hérault is the gradual generalization of air conditioning, previously reserved for living areas, to all bedrooms.

“Putting all sensors in the area on alert”

The fact remains that the department recorded 200 deaths in 2023 linked to heat. “When we know that in 2050 it will be as hot in Montpellier as in Seville, with more regular heatwaves, we have a duty to anticipate”, argues the prefect of Hérault. And François-Xavier Lauch emphasizes the alert “of all the sensors in the territory”.

“The State must play its role, but we realize that the most effective level is the municipalities and the CCAS. When I go today to meet local elected officials, I don't find many who don't have a clear idea of ​​the vulnerable people in their territories. Most town halls keep up-to-date registers. This was not the case a few years ago. Everyone must be mobilized and on alert: municipal police officers, postmen, relatives, neighbors, etc. We cannot accept that vulnerable citizens die anonymously because of the heat."

So vigilance is required, and at least until this Saturday, August 10. Météo France has decided to extend the orange heatwave alert, with temperatures of 36 °C to 38 °C forecast around Montpellier…

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