Belgian elderly care homes face heat risks amid rising temperatures

In the De Kouter residential care centre in Belgium, temperatures in residents' rooms reached 28.8 °C while the outside shade temperature was 32.9 °C, yet the five‑year‑old building has no air‑conditioning. An inspection by the Zorginspectie in June 2026 recorded similar readings on multiple floors, and comparable results were found at the nearby Groene Boog centre in Leuven, also operated by the multinational Korian‑Clariane. Scientific guidance warns that temperatures above 25 °C can be harmful for people over 80, with serious health risks increasing sharply above 30 °C.

A white paper released by the End‑of‑Life Care research group at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Ghent University, commissioned by the European Association for Palliative Care, highlighted that the impact of climate change on palliative care is currently ranked at the bottom of research priorities despite the evident vulnerability of older patients during heatwaves. The paper calls for a broader public‑health agenda, greater use of big‑data and participatory research methods, and more attention to social and environmental factors affecting end‑of‑life care.