Bathed in blinding light, the reception hall of the Le Kem geriatric hospital is dozing in a gentle morning lethargy. The concierge has deserted the premises and retreated to the more peaceful bowels of the Thionvillois establishment. With a light step, Martine Mougeot invites us to find refuge “Salle Orban”, THE spot of the moment.
A significant temperature of 24°C regulates this huge air-conditioned space: “Yesterday (Monday), we already had a few people here. Today, we can expect a more sustained influx, predicts the director of care. Families and patients, at least those who do not require supervision, can find freshness and water there. »
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Crisis management plan
Strangely, the ARS did not trigger an alert during this period of long scorching flirtation. It is therefore on its own initiative that the hospital deployed its “high heat” crisis management plan. Which provides for a perfectly oiled protocol: rounds of hydration of the patient every two hours, distribution of milk products, “hydration by the subcutaneous route when it is too complicated by the oral route”, provision of misters, etc.
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For their part, the nursing staff, with a workforce of 200 employees, is authorized to take some liberties with the dress code of the function: “They can of course wear lighter outfits and they have showers available”, says Carole Barbaud, quality manager. A tolerance that takes nothing away from the hardness of the task…
“We assess the risk benefit for the resident”
“Here it starts,” grins Peggy, referring to the slowly rising mercury. Assigned to the Follow-up Care and Rehabilitation Service, the nursing assistant will go through this day job in…darkness. Classic ramparts to fight against the heat, the closed shutters offer a brief respite to hospitalized people. Another ally known to all: the use of a fan. The establishment has a large stock but only uses it in homeopathic doses. A legacy of this endless pandemic which prohibits the circulation of air in order to limit the transmission of Covid: “The French Society of Hygiene recommends not to use it”, recognizes the director of care. Which, however, does not refrain from turning the blades “with parsimony. A good compromise must be found between these rigid recommendations and the risk that we pose to the residents. »
Mobile air conditioners are also on the health authority’s blacklist. The Kem has deployed two in a room of its reinforced hospitalization unit. A breath of fresh air for this service which welcomes patients with acute cognitive disorders: “The heat can increase their aggressiveness, justifies Martine Mougeot. Here too, the risk-benefit ratio for the resident is assessed. At Kem, he clearly leans in favor of more breathable air…
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