Cold Weather Tips for Seniors By, Jim Clifford

 

Seniors Start Thinking About Cold Weather

 

This morning I needed to add an extra blanket over the light weight cover and sheet to stay warm. News said low overnight was mid 30’s. Yes, cold weather is coming. For those of us that are not snow birds and live in our homes, we need to be ready for another winter.  The physical items around your home should already be done. Make sure you have exterior lighting working and your furnace or heat source is in good condition.

It is very important to take care of your physical health. Care.com list 7 items for seniors starting with “Avoid Slipping on Ice”. Help avoid slipping by wearing shoes with good traction and non-skid soles and replace worn cane tips to make walking easier. Take shoes off as soon as you get inside your home, so you do not make your interior floors slippery. Not in the article but important is to have salt for snow and ice melting handy to put on any steps or walkways you need to walk on to get in and out of your home. For complete list from care.com go here: https://www.care.com/c/stories/5447/winter-safety-tips-for-seniors/

Hypothermia is a major concern to elderly during cold weather. According to health in aging what most of us think are warning signs of hypothermia may be wrong. Shivering is not a reliable warning sign. What is more reliable? Does your skin feel cold and are you pale or ashy color; are you feeling very tired confused and sleepy; are you feeling weak; do you have problems walking or has your breathing slowed down. If you think you have these symptoms, or you see someone else with these, get help. For more about this go to http://www.healthinaging.org/resources/resource:winter-safety-tips-for-older-adults/

Make sure you have good fitting warm clothing. While most senior do not snow ski or snowmobile look at some of the clothing made for these activities. They are flexible and light weight but help keep body heat in and allow moisture out. Have a good pair of snow boots and look at the boot socks that go over your calf. Make sure you have gloves and hat. In fact, put and extra pair of gloves and a hat in your car just in case. Rather than “run to the store” sign up for grocery delivery, if possible. Even if you decide to drive to the grocery store many have curb side pick-up, so you do not have to get out of your car.

According to Interim Healthcare you should have an emergency plan in case your home loses power. If you do have a generator, make sure it is outside of the home or garage when in use. If you do not have heat source during power outage, then have a place to go to that has heat. Here are some additional items to think about: https://www.interimhealthcare.com/news-media/news-desk/caring-for-the-elderly-in-cold-weather/

Have people you communicate with on regular basis that are close by. Make sure to check on each other when there is a storm or cold weather. We all like to think of ourselves as independent but frankly we need to be willing to be interdependent at times. Watch out for your neighbors and ask them to watch out for you.

Jim Clifford has been a Real Estate Broker for more than 40 years in Washington State if you need a good real estate agent to help you contact him by calling 253-826-7513 or email at [email protected]