What this help covers

This help may concern the immediate outdoor areas of the home: balcony, terrace, entrance, doorstep, small stairs, path to the mailbox, nearby courtyard, accessible garden or rest area used during summer. DomusHelp can help identify highly exposed areas, compare times of shade and sun, check the stability of a simple mobile shade solution, move a light chair, a small table or a non-heavy planter if this does not create danger, make access to an existing shutter or awning easier with the person’s clear agreement, bring useful objects closer to a cooler area or prepare a request to a professional when the solution goes beyond a simple task.

Preferred providers

Before the intervention

• Clarify the area concerned: balcony, terrace, entrance, step, pathway, courtyard, garden or area close to the home.
• Identify the times of strong sun exposure and the times when shade is actually present.
• Ask the person what is causing difficulty: heat, glare, lack of shade, tiredness, fear of going outside, difficulty handling an awning or isolation.
• Check whether there is discomfort, confusion, a recent fall, difficulty drinking, unusual tiredness or a vulnerable person exposed to heat.
• Refer immediately to a competent professional in case of signs of distress, worrying symptoms or immediate danger.
• Check the person’s agreement and, if necessary, the rules of the property manager, owner, condominium or building before any visible change.
• Check the stability of a parasol, a light support or a mobile shade solution, especially in case of wind, a narrow passage or a balcony.
• Avoid extension leads, cables on the ground, improvised outdoor electrical devices or installations near water without a qualified professional.
• Do not work at height, on a ladder, at the edge of a balcony, on a facade, on a roof or with heavy loads.
• Keep necessary access clear: entrance, emergency passage, mailbox, neighbours, animals, carers and emergency services.
• Do not permanently move furniture, plants, familiar markers or habits without the clear agreement of the person concerned.
• Refuse any intervention if the heat makes the work dangerous, if the person is in distress or if the safety of the arrangement is not clear.

What DomusHelp does not cover

• Medical assessment, diagnosis or treatment of heatstroke, dehydration, discomfort or any symptom related to heat.
• Continuous monitoring of a vulnerable person, care, complex physical assistance, decision about remaining at home or medical management of hydration.
• Installation, repair or modification of air-conditioning, technical ventilation, fixed electrical appliance or home cooling system.
• Installation of fixed awnings, motorized awnings, facade anchors, heavy protection, permanent structures or elements exposed to wind without a qualified professional.
• Intervention on a facade, roof, guardrail, balcony, wall, floor, load-bearing element or shared part of the building.
• Electrical work, additional socket, outdoor cable, timer, sensor, motorization, fixed lighting or connected device.
• Work at height, use of a ladder, carrying heavy loads, tree pruning, intervention on dangerous branches or unstable space.
• Visible modification of the home without clear agreement from the person, the owner, the property manager, the condominium or the applicable rules.
• Guarantee of temperature reduction, thermal comfort, absence of discomfort, absence of heatstroke or total safety.
• Intervention without respect for the pace, privacy, habits, wishes and decision-making capacity of the person concerned.

Need help with shade or heat in the district of Visp?

DomusHelp can help clarify the request, identify simple needs, distinguish what belongs to a practical task from what requires a professional and refer the person to an appropriate local provider, without replacing a medical, social, technical or specialized assessment.