Limited air conditioning during heat wave at Aylmer long-term care home, according to visitors

A long-term care home in Aylmer is operating with limited air conditioning.

A hundred residents at an Elgin County long-term care home are living with limited access to air conditioning.

CTV News London investigated to confirm viewer emails that cooling systems are not working in resident rooms at Terrace Lodge in Aylmer, Ont.

One woman visiting a family friend Thursday morning stated, “I am 81, and it was uncomfortably hot!’

Another visitor agreed, but stated fans were running in the hallways, and that the air conditioning in some common areas appeared to be working.

Two vans, owned by a mechanical repair company, were spotted at the facility on Thursday morning. It was not immediately clear if they were there to repair the air conditioning.

However, by afternoon, it was apparent there was an all-out effort to restore cooling.

Elgin Warden Dominique Giguère confirmed to CTV News that contractors are doing the best they can as they await parts for the main chiller unit, purchased just over a year ago. There is no timeline for delivery.

The unit failed last Thursday, just ahead of a spike in temperatures.

Giguère confirmed secondary AC units are operating and that cooling stations have been set up.

That said, she confirmed that temperatures in some resident rooms have reached 30 degreess.

Giguère stated there are no plans to move residents to other facilities temporarily.

“We’re confident that, with the temperatures cooling off, the parts arriving, and us being able to maintain everybody reasonably comfortable and safe. We’re comfortable we’ll be able to manage without more disruption.”

Terrace Lodge was renovated and expanded over a multi-year project completed in 2024 at a cost of $36 million.

The project included 64 new beds and upgrades to 36 others.