Does anyone provide aid/assistance for people who don't have air conditioning?

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Does anyone provide aid/assistance for people who don't have air conditioning?

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We have Weatherazation program in our town. They help low income families with heating and cooling their homes. It's a goverment program so that might take a while to get approved. Area Agency on Ageing, Salvation Army or Goodwill. Our local "Market Place" on face book has used window air cond. all the time for sale. My Dad was always cold too . He would love this heat wave the US is having. Lots of flaverd water and water mellon helped. Hope some of these help.

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Thank you for your helpful suggestions! I've left a message for Area Agency on Aging.

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Ever thought about putting your mum in assisted living? Your brother can take care of himself. If you mum is on Medicaid she can also go to a nursing home if unable to care for herself. Nursing homes have controlled comfortable environments. Another alternative is have your mum live with you.

With temperatures like that she is at high risk of heat exhaustion, skin issues, difficulty breathing, and so on.

If none of the above solutions are acceptable, CALL her electric company. They have programs for the indigent. If she is on Medicaid this will not be difficult.

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We talked about it, and decided mom living with my brother, and having an aide come in for 4 hours while he is at work is the best thing. She has Medicare, not Medicaid, and the house is in her name, not my brothers. My brother can take care of himself to a certain point. He had epilepsy when he was younger, was in a bad car accident when he had a seizure, and hasn't driven since. He has trouble comprehending some everyday things, and needs instruction. He does not have a checking account, cell phone, or computer. My husband and I both work, and have 5 inside cats, so living with us is not an option. My older brother, mom, and dad live about 5 minutes apart, so that makes it convenient for them. Thank you for your suggestions.

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Since your brother is working why can't he buy some window A/C's?

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He helps out with groceries and other expenses, but he doesn't have a high paying job. He has no credit, or checking account. A friend of mine has a window air conditioner that he said I can have. Mom did not want the last one that my dad bought for her, before her dementia, so it was taken out of the window. Her house doesn't have many plugs, so we would probably have to see what would work best, a window air conditioner, or the portable one.

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I live where temperatures are often over 100° in the summer.

One solution to keep them cooler during a heat wave is to wet a sheet and put that over them, then have a fan to blow over the damp sheet. It works better if the sheet is on your skin but may be too much for a senior. At night do the same thing, go to bed with a damp sheet and by the time it dries the weather should be cooler.

Get some electrolytes, whether you order them online or purchase at a local medical and safety supply store or they can drink Gatorade. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are caused because of our electrolytes being to low, sweating causes this to happen, so replenishing these vital nutrients is essential.

Please have your dad take them to, since he is at risk because of his physical activities and being exposed to the same heat.

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Thank you for the suggestions! I'm not sure mom would go for the wet sheet, since she says she is always cold. She does drink Gatorade, and I also recommended Pedialyte to my dad. We used to keep it on the job site for construction workers. It seems to have more electrolytes in it, and provides quicker recovery time if there is heat exhaustion. And yes, I worry about my dad, too! Mom is 81, and dad is 82.

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Short term, please call AAA or your local fire department or EMT services.

A handyman solution is making an air condition from a cooler using a fan and a 4" U shaped plastic pipe connection (see https://tiphero.com/coolest-coleman-cooler ). Amazon has a very good fan for this purpose that uses AC or batteries (Treva 10-Inch Portable Desktop Air Circulation Battery Fan - 2 Cooling Speeds - With AC Adapter) for $22. The plastic pipe connector is about $1.50 and you can use the cheapest Styrofoam or plastic cooler you can find. Styrofoam may be easier because you can cut the lid with a knife. I use silicone sealant because it's gap filling to connect the fan and pipe, but duct tape will do. You just need to freeze ice blocks ahead of time. I have found ice blocks that sit up and not just rest on the bottom of the cooler work best. I use old cottage cheese containers and coffee cans to freeze the blocks, then stack them on a freezer shelf with wax paper between them. As the ice melts, I add more blocks but don't remove the water until the cooler is about half full. I also empty the melted ice water into the sink and use it to wet or dampen wash clothes to cool down. I'm not suggesting you can cool down a whole house this way, but I know you can cool down a room or two.

Close curtains to keep the heat outside. Consider hanging heavier towels or blankets over window curtains in full sun to slow the heating effect. Watch two thermometers, one in the shade outside (like on your porch or under a tree) and one inside your house. Don't open windows anytime it's hotter outside. When the overnight temperature drops and it's actually cooler outside than in, open the windows and use fans to exhaust air on one side of the house while pulling in fresh air on the other side.

Long term economical solution for a home without any HVAC venting may be installing ductless heat pumps. The air exchanger for each zone is mounted on an exterior wall with only two small holes cut through the wall for the hoses from the heat pump. They come in 2-4 zone models and cost from $800-$2500. It takes an electrician to run the electrical lines but you may be able to get someone from Habitat for Humanity to install for free. My brother (the electrician and general handy man) recently installed two units in an older 3BR ranch house; one 3 zone unit for the bedrooms ($1200) and a 2 zone unit on the other end of the house for the eat in kitchen and living room ($800). Your local electric company may sponsor loan programs to purchase and install these units.

Good Luck staying cool this weekend.

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Thank you so much for all of your suggestions! I will check into the long-term solutions.

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Brenda, we are in Streetsboro, which isn’t that far from you. I know that there are cooling centers around. I’ve seen them reported on the news. If you call CF City Hall, they can tell you where they are. Also, we have a community officer here in The Boro. He’s through the fire department and he will find help for people who need it. Call the FD and see if you have one as well. Or, you could call our’s. He’s Lt. Bucks and the non-emergency # is 330-626-4664.

Also, unsolicited advice, but summer comes around every year and we have summers here that are as brutal as our winters. Have you considered moving Mom and Brother into an air-conditioned apartment on the bus line? There are some nice ones in The Falls.

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brendak60, it would be great if there such programs where a new air condition system is installed into a home. But there could be roadblocks such as no central heating where the same duct work can be used for A/C. And if such programs existed it would be funded by the State taxpayers.

Depending on where your parents live, check to see if there will be any cooling shelters, such as community centers, schools, senior centers that would be open during the day to help the seniors spend their day in air conditioning.

Chances are a motel/hotel would be out of reach cost wise for those really hot days/nights.

Does the house have a basement? If yes, is there an easy access? Basements usually are cooler than the rest of the house. My parents [90+] during a brown-out where the electricity went out, took into the basement lawn chairs and some battery operated lanterns. Of course, one would need to plan ahead for bathroom stops.

Back in the olden days I remember reading that people had upstairs sleeping porches to use on hot nights.

One could get some ice and have a fan blow over the ice. I am making ice now for this weekend in case the power goes out, then I can put ice in zip lock bags and use those to place around me to help cool down.

Make sure there is enough finger type food in case the power does go out and cooking is out of the question.

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Call the Office of Aging. See if there are programs. Maybe your electrical Company. They may even be able to offset some of the cost.

Use fans when running a/c. It helps to circulate the cool air. Make sure curtains are closed where the Sun comes in. If cooking, if u have a over the stove fan, use it. It pulls the hot air off the stove and cools it down. Houses tend to warm up at dinner time.

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Does anyone provide aid/assistance for people who don't have air conditioning?

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