Seniors are left in the heat when the Houston’s wild weather hammers Independent senior housing facilities

Independent living homes for senior citizens are not subject to the same strict oversight as assisted living or nursing homes. centers.

By Colleen DeGuzman

Jul 05, 2024 04:57 PM

Rosie Powell is 71 and she’s not had AC in her house for a whole month.

“I’m sitting here in the living room now with my little portable fan that I bought from Walmart,” she told me one afternoon in June. The thermostat was set at the temperature at 87°F.

Powell relocated from her home in Palisades in Inwood the senior living facility located in North Houston, a decade ago after deciding that to live in an elderly community is more affordable and less hassle than managing her own home. She also appreciates the company of other senior residents.

But she added that the compromise isn’t without a cost that the kind of place she resides in has minimal supervision.

Even though Powell is a resident of an older complex however, there’s a stark difference between the various types of facilities for seniors are managed and this means that some of the most vulnerable seniors without the way they are treated. “Nobody come over here and see about us,” Powell stated.

Facilities that provide medical care like nursing homes or assisted living facilities, must be prepared. Texas Health and Human Services has outlined strict guidelines regarding how these types of facilities must be prepared for emergency situations.

However, these regulations do not apply on independent living community like the case with Palisades of Inwood is.

Complexes classified as independent are generally not required to provide services for seniors, although they’re advertised to those who are who are older than 55. “It’s just like a regular apartment complex,” Houston City Council Member Amy Peck stated. Residents of independent apartments may be taking medication, or in a position to walk by themselves.

Peck believes that many people aren’t as independent as people living in facilities for special needs and, with a busy storm season in the coming days there are a lot of risks.

“A lot of times there are a bunch of senior citizens living in an apartment complex with no kind of accountability for what could happen in a disaster situation or any other kind of situation,” Peck said.

Powell says her AC was shut down on June 7 as did a good dozen residents. She’s worried about them as some of them have more serious health issues. Their landlord provided them with portable AC units but they’re inadequate to keep the place down during Houston’s three-digit summer heat.

“I’m sitting here in the living room now with my little portable fan that I have bought from Walmart,” Powell stated. “I just try to brace myself and try to have enough food or water around here to take care of me… It’s just not what we were told it was going to be.”

Latasha Washington, who is the manager of Palisades of Inwood The building in which Powell lives, has declined to provide any information.

Seniors, and even those who live independently, typically suffer from chronic health issues and depend on electricity to keep lifesaving devices running and medicines at the correct temperature. This makes prolonged times of power interruptions all more risky for them.

State senator Molly Cook holds a Master’s degree in public health. Cook said that as people age are more prone to the risk of becoming dehydrated.

“Especially if it’s humid, that could be lethal to them,” Cook stated.

May’s storms, and especially derechos, took Houstonians by surprise, causing many to be without electricity or AC for days, which included seniors’ homes. It was a test for who’s ready for hurricane season.

“What we saw out there was that folks were falling between the gaps,” Cook explained.

Clinics that provide medical services are mandated by the state to be equipped with things like generators, water and food to each patient for a minimum of three days, as well as an emergency plan.

Chuck Lalonde is a senior vice president of operations at Belmont Village Senior Living, which has two assisted-living and memory care locations located in Houston.

“It’s a pretty strict list that we follow, so we’re not reinventing the wheel every hurricane season,” Lalonde explained.

However, these facilities can cost upwards of $7000 per month, which is a price that only a few elderly are able to afford. Independent living facilities are less expensive. In Houston Heights Tower which is an independent living community located in central Houston the rent for a one-bedroom unit is approximately $750 a month.

Linda Holder is the executive director of The Housing Corporation, a non-profit organization that has 8 independent communities of living located in Houston as well as Houston Heights Tower.

She explained that even though they provide care to seniors and disabled, they’re all about the title: independent living.

“We really can’t, we can’t take care of people’s medical needs,” Holder stated. “There’s always 911, we are very high profile with the fire department.”

However, she added that they do have food and water as well as an area for cooling when the power is out.

The power within the Houston Heights Tower was out for four days following the derecho that occurred on the 16th of May. Hope Aguirre, the building’s property manager, said she moved residents who live on the upper floors down to the lower levels.

“I bring them down and they can either be on the hallways or in the community room here because I don’t want no one on the top, just so they won’t get scared or anything,” Aguirre said.

Peck who is a member of the city council, said she’s looking into writing local guidelines to govern autonomous living groups.

“There needs to be some changes to our city ordinances and possibly the state law as well that says, you know that there has to at least be some kind of minimum standard of care at these apartment complexes,” she added.