When One Thermostat Isn't the Whole Story: Heat Safety for Older Adults at Home
The Chippewa Valley is in the middle of a serious heat wave this week. We are running about ten degrees above average, feels-like temperatures are pushing close to 100, and the heat is expected to hang on through the end of the work week. On top of it, an air quality alert is in effect as wildfire smoke drifts in from fires in Canada and Minnesota.
As a firefighter and paramedic, this is the stretch of summer that keeps us busy. Heat is hard on everyone, but it is especially hard on older adults, who often do not feel it coming on the way younger people do. If you have a parent or loved one who lives alone, this is a week to check in.
I want to focus on one thing that catches families off guard: the temperature inside the home is not always what the thermostat says.
The thermostat only knows one spot
A thermostat measures the air in exactly one place, usually a hallway or a central wall near the return vent. That number can read a comfortable 72 while the bedroom at the end of the hall, the room above the garage, or the sun-facing side of the house sits ten or more degrees warmer.
In a larger home, an older home, or a home where the air conditioning struggles to reach the far rooms, that gap matters. The spot on the wall can say everything is fine while the room your loved one actually sleeps or spends the afternoon in is not fine at all. And if they are not moving around much, they may not notice the difference until it becomes a problem.
The smoke adds a wrinkle this week
With the air quality alert, closing the house up and running the air conditioning is the right call for the smoke. But a sealed-up house can also trap heat if the system cannot keep up. That is one more reason to know the real temperature in the rooms that matter, not just the reading by the front door.
A few simple things that help
- Make a plan to check in. A call, a text, or a visit. If they live alone, set a time and keep it.
- Keep water within reach and encourage sipping through the day.
- Close the blinds on the sunny side and let the air conditioning focus on the lived-in rooms.
- Know the cool options. Libraries, senior centers, and shopping centers are all welcome places to cool off.
- Know the real temperature where your loved one actually sits and sleeps, not just the hallway.
That last one is part of what we do year round. Custos Hub by Rockwell keeps quiet, camera free awareness of a home's conditions running in the background of every monthly plan, including temperature in more than one part of the home. So if a room drifts too warm while the thermostat still reads fine, the family knows, even from out of town.
A steady set of eyes on the home
If you would like a clear picture of how a loved one's home holds up across the seasons, our $150 Home Safety & Readiness Audit looks at climate and temperature readiness as one of the Seven Pillars we review. It is a simple first step, and there is no pressure attached to it.
For this week, though, the most important thing is simple. Check on your people, keep them cool, and look out for one another until this heat breaks.