Despite past storms’ lessons, long-term care residents again left powerless

A power outage can be difficult for anyone, but older adults are especially vulnerable to temperature extremes, with medications or medical conditions affecting their bodies’ ability to regulate heat and cold. Additionally, some medications need refrigeration while others cannot get too cold. Federal guidelines require nursing homes to maintain safe indoor temperatures but do not regulate how. For example, facilities face no requirement that generators or other alternative energy sources support heating and air conditioning systems. States are largely responsible for compliance, said David Grabowski, a professor of health care policy at Harvard Medical School. And if states are failing Read More