TROY - Sitting in front of an electric fan, 66-year-old Gerald Dolan bears the oppressive heat by limiting his movements as much as possible.

Like many adult home residents, the former New York City transit worker doesn't have air conditioning and is coping with an 8-inch fan and wide open windows.

“You grin and bear it. That's all you can do really,” said Dolan.

As a heat wave blankets much of the nation this week, officials have issued warnings to those caring for the elderly and disabled to take precautions. Yet regulations do not require assisted living and adult care homes to provide air conditioning in New York state and much of the nation.

There are about 1 million residents in assisted living and adult care homes across the country, according to the National Citizen's Coalition for Nursing Home Reform. While these residents are typically not as frail as those living in nursing homes, they represent an elderly and often disabled population who are taking medications that make them sensitive to heat.

“Their sensors are different. Older people might wrap themselves in a sweater and not realize they're overheating,” said Cynthia Rudder, spokeswoman for the New York City-based Long Term Care Community Coalition.

While electric fans may provide comfort, fans alone will not prevent heat-related illness when the temperature climbs into the high 90s, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Moving to an air-conditioned place is a better safeguard, according to the federal agency.

“Comfortable and safe” temperatures for nursing homes built after 1990 are required under federal regulations, with many states applying stricter mandates, said Lori Smetanka, spokeswoman for the National Citizen's Coalition for Nursing Home Reform.

Federal safeguards do not exist for assisted living and personal care homes. One reason is that the laws are still catching up with those burgeoning segments of the senior housing market, Smetanka said. New York, which requires air conditioning for newer nursing homes, is updating regulations for assisted living and adult homes. Right now, the state requires adult home operators to ensure residents are not put at risk on hot days. Advocates for the elderly say the language doesn't go far enough. A survey by the Coalition of Institutionalized Aged and Disabled in New York City found more than half of adult homes in the state did not have air conditioning available in every resident room last year. Most homes have air conditioned common areas, but that's little help to the seniors who spend most their time alone in their rooms, said Geoff Lieberman, executive director for the coalition.

Tracking the number of illnesses or deaths related to heat is difficult because the cause of death is often listed as something general, like stroke or dehydration, according to the coalition.

The Troy Adult Home air-conditioned community rooms are available 24 hours a day.

That's where Dolan heads when it gets too hot in his room. That's not an option at night, however, when he tosses and turns, struggling to fall sleep in the humid room.

“When you're younger you're bulletproof and you can take anything. You get old, and it's nice to be comfortable,” Dolan said.

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On the Net:

National Citizen's Coalition for Nursing Home Reform, http://www.nccnhr.org/

Long Term Care Community Coalition, http://www.ltccc.org/

Coalition of Institutionalized Aged and Disabled, http://www.ciadny.org/

AP-ES-07-18-06 1702EDT