A Story From the Field: Auntie Boonruean and the Classroom That Fell Silent for Two Weeks

Auntie Boonruean is sixty-eight years old and chairs the senior citizens' club of a subdistrict in Bang Pla Ma, Suphan Buri. Every Wednesday, more than fifty club members gather at the community's multipurpose hall, which doubles as the local "elderly school." The timetable is full: a health talk in the morning, old-style ramwong dancing, karaoke, making Thai desserts, weaving baskets and practicing the angklung, the bamboo rattle instrument that the group has been rehearsing for the temple fair. For many members whose children and grandchildren work in Bangkok or other provinces, Wednesday is the day they look forward to all week. It is where they laugh, gossip, exercise and feel useful.

This year the Tha Chin River rose over its banks and flooded the riverside communities. The multipurpose hall sat in shin-deep water for almost ten days. When the water finally drained away, Auntie Boonruean and two volunteer teachers went in to see the damage. The wooden doors had swollen so badly they would not close properly. The floor cushions that had been stacked along the wall were soaked through and already showed scattered black spots. The window curtains were stained yellow and smelled sour and stale. The long drums and angklung sets stored in the lower cupboard were covered in a fine layer of white mold. In the small kitchen at the back, where volunteers cook lunch for members, dried mud was caked on the floor and the legs of the prep table. The tiles at the entrance to the restroom were coated in a slippery film.

Members began calling to ask when classes would start again. Some said that staying home alone all day was making them lonely and restless. Auntie Boonruean wanted to reopen as soon as possible, but she was worried. Some members have asthma. One had heart surgery only a few months ago. Several walk with a cane and are not steady on their feet. If the room still held mold and the floors were still slick, bringing everyone back could turn a source of joy into a source of danger. She called the WHD team to find out how to make the hall truly safe, not just tidy.

Why Spaces for Older Adults Are Riskier Than They Look After a Flood

An older body reacts to its environment more strongly than a younger one. Problems that a thirty-year-old might shrug off as a minor annoyance can become serious for someone in their seventies:

• Lungs and airways. Mold spores floating in a damp, closed room can trigger allergies and make asthma and chronic lung disease worse, especially when people sit together in the same space for several hours at a time.
• Slips and falls. A slimy film, a thin layer of leftover mud and floors that are still damp are all more slippery than normal. For an older person, a fall can mean a broken hip, a long recovery and a permanent loss of independence.
• Skin and wounds. Older skin is thinner and tears easily. Touching surfaces that still carry germs from floodwater can lead to skin infections that heal slowly.
• The digestive system. If the kitchen used to cook the shared lunch is not properly cleaned, diarrhea-causing bacteria can contaminate food. Older adults with diarrhea can become dehydrated very quickly.
• Existing conditions. Members with diabetes, high blood pressure or recent surgery may have weaker immune defenses than average and take longer to recover from any infection.

There is another side that is easy to overlook: mental and emotional health. Elderly schools and senior clubs are where older people meet friends, keep their bodies moving and feel valued. The longer the doors stay closed, the more isolated members who live alone become, and isolation is closely linked to low mood and declining health. Restoring the space quickly and safely is therefore a way of caring for body and mind at the same time.

Families feel this too. Adult children working far away often rely on the club as an informal safety net, knowing that someone will notice if their parent does not show up on Wednesday. When the club is closed, that net disappears.

What to Check in an Elderly School or Senior Activity Center

• Floor cushions, mats and carpets. These soak up water deep inside. If they sat in floodwater for several days, most should be discarded, because moisture trapped in the foam becomes a breeding ground for mold.
• Plastic chairs, folding tables and handrails. These can be washed and disinfected, but every gap must be reached, especially table legs and the underside of seats.
• Curtains and tablecloths. If they are not badly damaged, they can be washed in hot water, but curtain rods and window frames need disinfecting too.
• Musical instruments and craft supplies. Bamboo angklung, hide drums and woven baskets are porous and absorb moisture. They need to dry slowly in the shade and be handled with care.
• Exercise equipment. Resistance bands, balls and the wooden sticks used for stretching routines pass through many hands during a single session.
• The kitchen and dish storage. Food cupboards, dish racks and water storage containers must be washed and disinfected before anyone cooks for members again.
• Restrooms and ramps. These are the areas older adults use most often, and where a slip is most likely.
• Ceiling fans and standing fans. The blades collect dried mud dust. Switching them on straight away blows dust and spores around the room. Any fan that was submerged must be checked by an electrician before use.

Walking through this list with the volunteers who know the building best usually turns up a few surprises, like a storage room nobody had opened yet or a cupboard that still holds wet paperwork.

It is also worth checking the things members bring home. Club certificates, photo albums from past trips and handmade crafts on display are precious to their owners. Items that are only slightly damp can often be dried and kept, while anything that smells strongly or shows spreading mold should be photographed for memory and then let go. Making these decisions together, with care and respect, helps members accept the losses and look forward to the next class instead of dwelling on what the water took.

Why Community Halls Along the Tha Chin Are Especially Vulnerable

Many of the halls used by senior clubs in Bang Pla Ma were built decades ago as simple, open buildings: a concrete floor laid close to ground level, plastered brick walls, wooden doors and windows, and a tin or tile roof. They were designed to be cheap, airy and easy to sweep, not to survive ten days of standing water. Concrete and plaster wick moisture upward long after the flood line has dried, so a wall can look fine at eye level while still being damp twenty or thirty centimeters above the visible stain. Wooden doors and window frames swell and trap water in their joints. Storage cupboards are often pushed against the wall with no gap behind them, creating a dark, still pocket where mold thrives.

Halls like these are also shared. On Monday the space may host a village meeting, on Tuesday a vaccination session, on Wednesday the elderly school and at the weekend a merit-making lunch. That means more people, more footsteps carrying mud in from outside, and more reasons to get the building safe quickly. It also means the decision to call in professional help often involves several groups at once, so a clear plan and a clear explanation of the safety steps make it easier for everyone to agree.

What Clubs Usually Do Themselves, and Why It Falls Short

Communities in Bang Pla Ma are generous. Volunteers and grandchildren usually turn up to scrub the hall the moment the water recedes, and that is a wonderful start. But some of the most common methods have real limits:

• Splashing strong bleach all over the room. The heavy chlorine smell can tighten the chest of members with asthma. Mixing bleach with certain toilet cleaners can also release dangerous gases.
• Leaving doors and windows open for a few days. This helps air the room, but in the rainy season the air itself is humid, so walls and wooden items dry slowly and mold keeps growing.
• Burning incense or placing charcoal to absorb odors. This helps a little in a small room, but it does not kill mold and is not enough for a large hall. Incense smoke also irritates the lungs.
• Wiping off mold and painting over it. The wall looks clean, but mold rooted in the plaster is still there and comes back as new spots within a few weeks.

What is missing is a way to deal with germs and mold thoroughly, both on surfaces and in the air, using a method that does not leave a chemical smell for older members to breathe in when they return.

The Solution: Fogging Plus Ozone, Designed Around Older Users

The WHD team uses its disinfection fogging service with CHEMGENE HLD4H disinfectant delivered through ULV foggers, which turn the liquid into a fine mist that settles across floors, walls, chairs and hard-to-reach corners. This is combined with the ozone treatment service, which helps deal with mold spores in the air and breaks down the molecules that cause musty odors. Once the room has been ventilated, the ozone breaks down back into oxygen, so no chemical smell is left behind for older members to inhale.

Step-by-Step Process

1. Survey with the club chair and the building caretaker. The team inspects every room, including the main hall, kitchen, restrooms and storage room, and confirms which agency owns the building so access can be coordinated properly.
2. Advice on sorting and mud removal. The team helps decide what should be thrown away, such as soaked foam cushions, and what can be washed and reused, such as plastic chairs and stainless steel pots.
3. Chemgene HLD4H fogging. The mist covers floors, walls up to the flood line, chairs, tables, handrails, ramps, restrooms and the kitchen.
4. Controlled ozone treatment. Each room is sealed and treated according to its size. No people, pets or plants are inside during treatment. Sound systems, speakers and instruments with hide or rubber parts are moved out or covered on the team's advice.
5. Ventilation. Doors and windows are opened so air can flow until the ozone has fully broken down, before anyone goes back in.
6. A final check before reopening day. The team checks odor and mold spots once more and points out any areas that are still damp and should be watched.

A tip for clubs: book the team on a day without activities, and leave at least one full day before the first class. That gives plenty of time for ventilation and lets volunteers set up the room again without rushing.

Safety First: What You Need to Know About Ozone

• High concentrations of ozone irritate the airways. Nobody should be in the room during treatment, and older adults in particular must stay well away.
• Post "do not enter" signs and tell every volunteer, so no one opens a door during treatment by mistake.
• Potted plants, bird cages and fish tanks must be moved out of the area first.
• Ozone-sensitive electronics, old photographs and instruments with rubber parts should be covered or removed, and a controlled ozone dose is used.
• After treatment, ventilate fully according to the team's advice before anyone returns.

Explaining these points to the volunteers in plain language is part of the job. When everyone understands why the hall is closed for a few hours, nobody is tempted to "just pop in" to collect a forgotten bag.

10 Reasons Senior Clubs Trust WHD

1. Ozone treatment reaches musty odors and mold spores throughout a large hall.
2. Disinfection fogging gets to table legs, the underside of chairs and every handrail.
3. CHEMGENE HLD4H has no sharp, harsh smell, so it does not bother members who are sensitive to odors.
4. No chemical smell is left behind once the room has been ventilated.
5. Combined with scrubbing, it helps reduce slimy residue on restroom floors and ramps, the places where falls are most likely.
6. Clear advice on what to throw away and what can be kept.
7. The community kitchen is made ready to cook shared lunches again.
8. An add-on dust mite removal service is available for cushions and mattresses that can still be used.
9. A mosquito spraying service can be added around the building while standing water remains.
10. Work is scheduled around the club's activity calendar, so no class days are lost.

Before and After Restoring the Senior Activity Center

A Customer's Perspective (Sample Scenario)

"What worried me most were the members with asthma. The team explained that the room would be closed during treatment with nobody inside, and then aired out before anyone came back. On Wednesday, everyone walked in and said the bad smell was gone. I was so happy to see all of us sitting together and singing again."
— Chair of a senior citizens' club, Bang Pla Ma district (scenario based on field experience)

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: When can older adults go back into the room after ozone treatment?
A: After treatment, the room must be ventilated so the ozone can break down first. The team will tell you the right time, and we suggest leaving one full day before activities restart, for the comfort of members who are sensitive to air quality.

Q: Can wet floor cushions be washed and reused?
A: Cushions with a foam core that sat in floodwater for several days should usually be thrown away, because the moisture inside is very hard to dry completely. Cushions that only got wet on the surface may be washed, dried thoroughly and then checked again by the team.

Q: Our angklung and long drums have mold on them. What should we do?
A: Gently wipe the surface mold away and let the instruments dry in a shaded, well-ventilated spot rather than in strong sun. Hide drums should be covered or kept out of the room during ozone treatment. The team will advise based on the condition of each piece.

Q: What extra steps does the kitchen need?
A: Wash every utensil with dish soap and clean water, throw away dry food and condiments that touched floodwater, and then have the team fog the kitchen surfaces, cupboards and shelves.

Q: The building belongs to the subdistrict administration. Can the club hire the service itself?
A: Yes, but you should inform the building's owner and get permission first. The team can provide details of the planned work to support that coordination.

Q: Will we need to repeat the treatment?
A: If the walls dry well and humidity is kept under control, repeat treatments are usually not needed often. It is still wise to book a check a while after reopening, and to contact the team if the musty smell comes back.

Q: Is the fogging solution safe for older people afterward?
A: The team applies Chemgene HLD4H according to its instructions and advises how long to wait before re-entry. Once surfaces are dry and the room has been aired, members can use the space normally.

Preparing a Safe First Day Back

• Lay anti-slip mats at the entrance and outside the restroom, and ask a volunteer to keep an eye on slippery spots.
• Set up a hand-washing point with soap, and keep a Chemgene HLD4H spray handy for wiping handrails and the shared karaoke microphone.
• Ask members whether anyone has a wound from wading through water, a fever or muscle pain since the flood, and encourage them to see a doctor.
• Keep every window open during activities and avoid sealing the room shut.
• Use the first part of the day for a short talk on staying healthy after a flood. For reference material, see the Department of Health.

It also helps to reintroduce activities gradually. A gentle first session of singing and light stretching lets members settle back in before the more energetic dancing starts again, and gives volunteers time to notice any part of the room that still feels damp or smells stale.

Keeping the Hall Dry Through the Rest of the Rainy Season

The work does not end on reopening day. In a riverside district like Bang Pla Ma, humid weather can continue for weeks. A few simple habits help keep mold from returning: open the windows for at least an hour before and after each session, store cushions and mats off the floor on shelves where air can circulate, keep instruments in ventilated cupboards rather than sealed boxes, and wipe up spills in the kitchen and restroom straight away. If a musty smell or dark spots appear again, take a photo and send it to the WHD team on LINE. Catching a problem early is far easier, and far cheaper, than dealing with a room that has been quietly growing mold for a month.

Let Your Seniors Meet Again in a Clean, Safe Room

Talk to the WHD team to plan ozone treatment and disinfection fogging around your club's activity schedule.

Book Ozone Treatment – Click Here

See Disinfection Service – Click Here

Call 065-556-6294 · LINE @whd268 · Email worldhealthdisinfection@gmail.com

Related Links

• Residential ozone disinfection
• Ozone treatment for odors and chemical residue
• Master Ozone Generator
• All articles

Health references: World Health Organization (WHO): Floods · Department of Health, Thailand