When it comes to multiple sclerosis (MS) and heat, even a spot that is normally comfortable can become unsuitable for a rest. The sun falls on the backrest, the room builds up heat or the air-conditioner remote is out of reach: before changing the chair’s position, it is worth looking at what surrounds it.
Preparing for rest on sultry days means organising the environment, the supports and the help available. Sollevita can offer an adjustable seat, but it does not cool the body or the room. The distinction is a practical one: the comfort of the chair and protection from the heat call for different checks, to be coordinated in the same rest spot.
In brief
A break on hot days needs to be prepared by choosing a place that can actually be used, shielded from the sun and with suitable air management. Drinks, controls and the means of calling for help must remain available in the resting position too. The seat must not replace air conditioning, care or medical advice. If new or unusual symptoms appear, the point of reference is the MS centre, not a different chair setting.
Multiple sclerosis and heat: what to keep separate
The Italian Multiple Sclerosis Society (AISM) explains that a rise in body temperature can temporarily accentuate symptoms already present in MS. This effect, known as Uhthoff’s phenomenon, does not automatically amount to a relapse; unusual or persistent symptoms, however, call for a discussion with the neurologist. [1]
When organising a break, the practical consequence is not to diagnose for yourself what is happening. It is to prepare an environment in which to rest without continuing to be exposed to the heat. A more reclined setting does not make up for an overheated room.
This guide looks at the rest spot. If instead you want to record activities, breaks and effort during changes of position, the diary on MS and fatigue is still available. Here there is no need to log a whole week: what matters is understanding whether the place for the break works at the times when it will be used.
Choosing the spot in the home for the time it will be needed
Look at the living room at the time planned for resting, not only in the morning. A seat in the shade at nine o’clock could be in full sun in the afternoon. Notice which windows heat up the area and whether shading can be managed before the problem arises.
Assess the rest spot together with the routes to it. The coolest room is not automatically usable if reaching it requires a move that has not been organised or the necessary help is missing. Do not ask the person to attempt an uncertain transfer just to test an alternative during the heat.
Compare two real options: keeping the seat where it is while improving how the environment is managed, or using a rest spot that is already suitable in another room. There is no need to move the whole chair every time the sun shifts.
Also ask which setting the person prefers. Shade, quiet, the chance to talk to someone and access to care need to be considered together. Preparing a break does not mean automatically isolating someone who wants to stay close to their family.
Shading from the sun and choosing when to air the room
The Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) recommends shading rooms, preferably from the outside, and letting fresh air in when the outdoor temperature is lower than the indoor one. Leaving everything open during the hottest hours is therefore not a solution to apply across the board. [2]
Turn this principle into a practical arrangement: who operates the shutters, roller blinds or windows? Can the person do it without standing up, or do they need to ask for help? Shading should be set up without leaving cords, fabrics or objects in the areas where the chair moves.
Shading must not make the controls or the route hard to recognise. Keep the light needed for activities and communication, choosing an arrangement that protects from the sun without turning the break into an enforced stay in the dark.
A room thermometer can help to compare rooms and times of day, without being a test of individual tolerance. Avoid turning a single reading into a guarantee of safety. Instead, note where the break is hard to manage and which environmental measures are missing.
To prepare for the heat, the Canton of Ticino also recommends checking shading, appliances and the home thermometer. [3] It is more useful to check beforehand that they work than to discover their limits when the person is already settled.
Moving air and air conditioning are not the same thing
A fan moves the air, whereas an air conditioner can lower the temperature of the room. These are different functions. Before organising the break, clarify which appliances are available and whether the room can actually be used: switching on an appliance is not enough, on its own, to consider the heat problem solved. The priority remains a cool, sheltered place. [2]
For the rest spot, check above all how things will actually be managed: who switches the appliance on, who changes the setting and how is discomfort signalled? The appliance’s remote control must be recognisable even when it sits next to the television remote and the chair’s handset.
Do not place appliances or extension leads in the path of a mobility aid or under the footrest. Follow the appliance’s instructions and do not improvise connections to bring it closer to the seat. An environment that is easier to manage must not become harder to move through.
The choice of setting must take into account the real situation and the relevant guidance. This guide does not assign a therapeutic temperature to MS, nor a length of time for which it is safe to stay in any room.
Water, controls and help: what must stay within reach
Prepare the permitted drink and a container that can be used easily, without leaving the person to fetch it from somewhere far away. Anyone with fluid restrictions must follow medical advice: the FOPH highlights this, for example, for people with heart or kidney failure. [2]
A glass nearby does not solve any difficulty with grip or swallowing. Keep to the methods and care already recommended. Do not put drinks on the handset or near the connections to gain a few centimetres.
Also keep the chair’s handset separate from the means of calling for help. The usual phone or device must remain within reach in the position being used. If someone needs to step in, agree who is available: an object on the side table is no substitute for a person who can respond.
To make the preparation concrete, ask the user to point out the useful items without having to stretch awkwardly to reach them. The family member can adjust the arrangement before the break, instead of waiting until it becomes necessary to get up for every small request.
Covers and supports: going lighter without removing what is needed
Assess clothing and any added textiles together with the person’s preferences. The FOPH recommends breathable clothing and light textiles to cope with the heat. [2] This does not mean removing a prescribed cushion or a support needed for posture.
Do not attribute a cooling effect to the chair’s fabric. The Sollevita documentation describes materials, supports and adjustments, not a cooling system. A surface that feels pleasant to the touch at first does not prove temperature control during the break. [5]
Before adding throws, covers or cooling accessories, check both their use on the person and their compatibility with the seat and the mechanisms. Do not wet the upholstery to turn it into a cold surface, and do not spray water towards controls or electrical parts.
When a support feels uncomfortable, describe where and in which position. Do not remove necessary layers indiscriminately, and do not let the search for coolness cancel out the supports already planned.
An environment sheet, not a fatigue diary
You can prepare this sheet by observing the home and talking with the people who live there. The rows record practical decisions; they do not measure the symptom and do not assign a health score.
| Item | What to clarify | Practical decision |
|---|---|---|
| Sun on the rest spot | What happens at the time of the break? | Shading to be set up and person responsible |
| Air and room | When is airing useful, and which appliances are available? | Management of the windows and of the appropriate appliance |
| Supports and textiles | Which supports must stay? | Usual set-up and additions to be checked |
| Items within reach | Can the drink, controls and means of calling for help be used? | Agreed arrangement and help needed |
| Care | Who responds if the situation changes? | Available contact person and how to reach them |
| Alternative | Which other rest spot can already be used? | Place, route and care to organise in advance |
Leave unresolved points visible. “We don’t have a second room we can use” is information to be dealt with, not a box to fill in by choosing a place the person cannot reach.
Preparing an alternative when the room is not enough
Imagine an illustrative situation: the living room is pleasant in the morning but becomes too hot in the afternoon. The answer may be to put the shading in place earlier and organise the break in a room that is already suitable, rather than simply increasing the chair’s recline.
Before a power cut or an air-conditioner breakdown happens, clarify who can help and which alternative room is genuinely available. Sollevita’s battery powers the product’s adjustments: it is not an emergency power supply for fans or air conditioners. [5]
Do not base the plan on the hope that a family member will drop by. If the person lives alone or depends on care, agree on the contacts and the support needed to cope with the heat. Do not wait until someone feels unwell to check whether the alternative is accessible.
When changing the environment is not enough
If a symptom is new, different from usual or does not improve when the body returns to its usual temperature, contact the neurologist or the MS centre. Do not wait for a set amount of time before putting it down to the heat. [1]
Marked confusion, loss of consciousness or feeling seriously unwell in the heat require urgent help. The FOPH lists changes in behaviour and fainting among the serious warning signs not to be underestimated. [4] Do not keep looking for the most comfortable chair setting.
Technical questions follow a different path. Sollevita for needs related to multiple sclerosis presents the overall picture of the product; Sollevita’s supports and resting functions help to discuss the seat. No function replaces the assessment of a change in health.
Reference sources
[2] Swiss Federal Office of Public Health — Protection from the heat (in Italian)
[3] Republic and Canton of Ticino, DSS — Recommendations in the event of a heatwave (in Italian)
[5] Sollevita / La Castellana — Product documentation
Features taken from the documentation provided to the editorial team; the link points to the product page, not to a clinical verification.
The health sources support the principles referred to; they do not recommend or certify Sollevita. Tables and examples are editorial content, not clinical tests or documented cases.
Bring a concrete rest spot to the consultation
Describe to the Sollevita Team the place where the person rests, the supports and the controls to be used. If possible, add a photograph of the area without any personal data. Questions about the seat can then be kept separate from those about the environment and symptoms, which still require the relevant professionals.
