ST. PAUL, Minn. - Temperatures reaching the 90s again in the Twin Cities endangered some of Minnesota's most vulnerable citizens. Little Brothers, Friends of the Elderly serves more than 800 Twin Cities citizens.
"Our elders, we like to make sure that they are keeping cool in this weather," said Josh Windham, Little Brothers worker. "I do see quite a few elders who do not have air conditioning and it is tough when the weather gets this hot. It is hard."
One of Windham's 70 clients is 70-year-old John Bailey of Saint Paul. Bailey estimates that 15 other residents in his high rise apartment building also have no air conditioning. Windham visits at least once a week.
"I strip down and then I go downstairs to the community room," explained Bailey. "But then it is too cold for me. So, I go outside." Bailey explained that he spends a couple of hours in his apartment, then spends a couple of hours in the downstairs air conditioning. That is his way of tolerating the heat.
"What we do at Little Brothers is we like to provide them with a fan or just other means of just air conditioning to cool themselves in weather like this," said Windham. On Monday, Windham brought Bailey a small fan to help the air flow in his apartment.
In addition to the Little Brothers assistance, Bailey receives weekly supplies of meals fromCreative Senior Dining. A weekly nurse visit keeps his medical needs in balance.
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