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The importance of keeping safe by staying warm through the winter

The winter months can pose many problems for the elderly and brings their safety into question even more than normal, not only are they more susceptible to falling and tripping especially if there is snow and ice but winter presents another major problem, keeping warm.

Elderly people are more susceptible to hypothermia; this is a condition where in very cold temperatures the body loses heat a lot faster than it can produce it. In the worst cases this leads to extreme tiredness and then eventually death. As the elderly aren’t as active as younger people this means that they are at extreme risk during the cold months, unfortunately the elderly cannot afford to turn up the heating and have it on constantly and are often not even aware of how cold it really is until its too late. There are warning signs that hypothermia could be setting in and it is essential that everyone should understand the symptoms, however many of the symptoms of the illness are also related to old age and problems that the elderly already suffer.

Signs of hypothermia

· memory loss and mild to severe confusion
· extreme tiredness and a sense of total peace
· shallow breathing and very slow or slurred speech
· very low blood pressure
· stiffness in the legs and arms with loss of feeling
· a loss of colour or poor pallor

Factors the elderly should be aware of

Hypothermia is easily avoidable providing you are aware that it exists and also what you are able to do to avoid it. The elderly have to take certain factors into consideration that other people wouldn’t, some of the most common factors that the elderly should be aware of include

· The elderly have many problems and illnesses that can affect the elderly persons ability to even feel that they are starting to feel cold so rather than trying to ascertain if you are cold see if the actual room is cold
· Elderly people don’t have as much fat under their skin, this is due to the elderly person no eating as well as a younger person, however fat protects the body and helps to keep it warm so it is essential that the elderly persons eats well during the winter months
· Some medicines increase the risk of hypothermia and the elderly usually take more medication than the younger generation due to certain conditions. Drugs to watch out for include those for the treatment of anxiety and depression.

Defending against hypothermia

Prevention as they say is better than cure and there are many things you can do to keep safe throughout the winter months.

· Wear more than one layer of clothing, if it is very cold then add more layers until you feel comfortable, remember you can always take off layers if you heat up
· Wear thicker socks and always wear slippers on your feet, never walk around in bare feet
· Wearing a hat will help to keep the heat in as heat is lost through the top of the head, if necessary this should be worn indoors as can gloves
· When going to bed put an extra blanket on the bed and a hot water bottle into the bed before retiring, if you use an electric blanket then ensure this is turned off before going to sleep
· Have plenty of hot drinks throughout the day and sip them at regular intervals if necessary have someone make up a flask and keep this at your side

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