Indoor Air Quality and Thermal Comfort in Elderly Care Center in Lithuania

摘要

The ratio of people aged 65 or above to the ones aged 15-64 is going to increase in the EU in the coming decades. Elderly people living in elderly care centers (ECC) usually spend most of their time indoors, especially if the person has trouble mowing around easily. As a result of that, indoor air quality (IAQ) in their rooms can have a noticeable impact on their well-being and respiratory health [1]. This study presents thermal comfort (TC) and IAQ results carried out in February - March of 2019 in one of ECC located in Kaunas, Lithuania. TC parameters were measured in 15 naturally ventilated rooms (6 belong to an intensive care section) and in two rooms of the day care center. Employees of ECC were asked to evaluate IAQ and TC by filling in questionnaires. Results show that an average temperature in a room was 20.36°C and the average relative humidity was 37.38%. Both of these parameters were within the reference levels [2]. However, in some rooms values were outside national reference norms, as temperature was 17.52°C and relative humidity was lower than 24%. Questionnaire survey showed the different thermal perception of employees. Acknowledgment This work was supported by COST Action CA16226 "Indoor living space improvement: Smart Habitat for the Elderly (SHELD-ON)". References: 1. SIMONI, M., JAAKKOLA, M.S., CARROZZI, L., BALDACCI, S., PEDE, F. Di and VIEGI, G. Indoor air pollution and respiratory health in the elderly. European Respiratory Journal. 2003. Vol. 21, no. Supplement 40p. 15-20. DOI 10.1183/09031936.03.00403603. 2. HN 125:2011 "Suaugusiu. asmenu. stacionarios socialines globos jstaigos: Bendrieji sveikatos saugos reikalavimai". 2011.