When the national heatwave plan is activated, action must be taken to prevent and limit the effects of the heatwave on people’s health.

In residential establishments for dependent elderly people (EHPAD), in establishments accommodating elderly people (EHPA) (retirement home, residential home), and in long-term care units, the monitoring and alert plan is based on the implementation of a “blue plan”.

Residents accompanied by EHPAD staff must then adopt the good habits regularly broadcast by the Regional Health Agencies: drink about 1.5L of water per day, spend time in a cool place, eat a sufficient amount.

The installation of at least one cooled room is an effective and indeed compulsory response to the effects of very high temperatures and their effects on vulnerable people. And access to authorised persons’ medical and care records must be facilitated, especially when a resident is given emergency medical treatment.

Automatic temperature readings can also be a valuable aid: sensors should be installed in the rooms most at risk from great heat due to their position in the building and orientation/exposure, as well as in rooms and communal areas where monitoring is desired.

Once the sensors are installed, the system will send automatic alerts when thresholds are exceeded and will allow access to historical data at any time. A detailed analysis will then allow a better understanding of the temperature dynamics within the building and allow preventive measures, such as application of thermal film to glazing, to be proposed.

Finally, it should be noted that temperature sensors are useful throughout the year. They can be used to identify faults, such as out-of-service heaters, slow air-conditioners, badly adjusted radiators or windows left open. An alert is then sent automatically, and the event logged.