Investigation of climate change impacts on long-term care facility occupants

Climate change is causing alterations to the geophysical system; rising global temperatures are causing extreme heat events, wildfires, and changes in infectious agents; sea-level rise and extreme precipitation events are increasing the frequency and intensity of flood events. These climate change impacts have a negative effect on human health, specifically on the most vulnerable populations. Vulnerability is the idea of susceptibility to damage or harm; with respect to climate change, it is a function of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. This case study explores the exposure and sensitivity of long-term care facility occupants in British Columbia (B.C.), Canada, because of the high proportion of long-term care residents that are sensitive to climate change. The climate change impacts under review were identified as those with the greatest risk to B.C., the potential to result in significant consequences, as well as current events and prevalence in the region over the past decade. The health effects of these primary climate change impacts were identified through a literature review. Both age and health condition are factors of sensitivity, in B.C. 97% of long-term care facility occupants have chronic diseases (including cardiovascular, endocrine, musculoskeletal, neurological, pulmonary, psychiatric, respiratory, and sensory diseases), and 95% are over the age of 65. A number of chronic diseases (e.g. hypertension and dementia) have been identified that are likely to be exacerbated because of climate change, specifically the four most significant and relevant climate change impacts in B.C.: extreme heat, flooding, changes in infectious agents, and wildfires. In this paper, the proportions of long-term care facility occupants in B.C. with these chronic diseases have been quantified, highlighting the importance of building the adaptive capacity of these populations to decrease their vulnerability. Various building design solutions were explored, confirming the relationship identified in past studies between the built environment, climate change, and occupant health.