'It's dangerous:' Austin senior living facility A/C system not working
AUSTIN (KXAN) --- It's probably the worst possible time for an air conditioning system not to work with temperatures reaching the triple digits. But at Brookdale Senior Living on Gaines Ranch Road in Southwest Austin, that's exactly what happened.
A spokesperson confirmed it has been out for a few weeks now.
'It's dangerous, quite frankly'
Adam, who asked not to share his last name, said his mother-in-law lives there.
"Think at one point, my mother-in-law's thermostat was reading 85, which is very disconcerting," Adam said, "She had it set at 72, which we would like it to be at."
He said she's started to have fatigue and trouble sleeping.
"It can be quite dangerous if she experiences any kind of overheating or stress from the heat," he said. "I can't imagine what it's like to have to go to bed and just feel the same level of heat, almost like you're outside."
He said she told him one person was even using the fridge and freezer to get some relief.
Adam said his family is not equipped to take care of his mother-in-law in their home. She's currently undergoing chemotherapy and he said they've had to put some of her physical therapy on pause because of the heat.
He hopes this gets resolved soon, so she can get back on track.
"She's doing really great. We're so proud of her," he said. "We'd hate for something like this to be a blocker for any longer."
Brookdale's response
In a statement to KXAN, a Brookdale spokesperson said their staff is working quickly to address this.
"While our vendor was servicing our HVAC system, the air conditioning unit failed. Our staff worked quickly to address any issue that affected the comfort and well-being of our residents. In this particular situation, portable units and fans were installed to offset any temperature issues at the community. They will remain in effect until a replacement air conditioning unit is installed and functioning."
Brookdale Spokesperson
They said they are waiting on a technician to install a specialty part and that he should be on site to finish the repair this coming week.