Winter Safety Tips for In-Home Senior Care

With colder temperatures, many new threats to seniors’ health and safety emerge. To help ensure seniors’ safety through the winter, it’s important to consider potential threats both inside and outside the home and make preparations

In addition to common, year-round domestic hazards, each season presents its own set of potential issues for the health of seniors. As colder temperatures set in, many new threats to seniors’ health and safety emerge. To help ensure seniors’ safety through the winter, it’s important to consider potential threats both inside and outside the home and make preparations that promote safety while allowing seniors to enjoy as much independence as possible.

Seniors that require in-home care frequently do not have family in close enough proximity to prepare for winter and assist with the preventative tasks that are needed throughout the season, meaning much of this work will be completed by professional caregivers. There are a handful of common threats caregivers can plan ahead for to make sure seniors’ homes are fully equipped to handle the chilly winter season.

As colder temperatures tend to chase people indoors, it’s important to make sure the home is prepared for the season. Caregivers should make sure seniors and their families schedule inspections and maintenance for furnaces and fireplaces to ensure they’re in safe condition and ready to use. Elders, especially those with cardiac issues, are vulnerable to health problems that can arise from being too cold, including dehydration. Setting the thermostat at the recommended 68 degrees will prevent these issues. With regular use of these heating methods, a few other potential dangers emerge. It’s a good idea to keep fire extinguishers near all heat sources in case a malfunction starts a blaze. Make sure smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors are installed on every floor of the home and check them to ensure all are working and have fresh batteries. Carbon monoxide is especially dangerous, as it’s practically undetectable without a monitoring device.

Caregivers should also make sure seniors’ homes are prepared with emergency kits in case a major winter storm causes power outages or strands them inside the home for an extended period without assistance. Winter emergency kits should include necessities such as a flashlight, backup batteries, a radio and warm blankets. Homes should also be stocked with enough non-perishable food and bottled water to last for several days until scheduled in-home visits can resume. Condition-specific care also necessitates seniors’ homes have a seven-day supply of prescription medications.

Falls are one of the most prominent threats to seniors’ health throughout the year, and the colder months present unique falling hazards both inside and outside the home. Make sure there are non-slip mats inside doors to prevent falls that can be caused by wet or snowy shoes. It’s also a good idea to store shoes on floor mats once inside the home to prevent puddles from accumulating on the floor due to melting snow and ice. Put the lights near entry ways on timers and make sure they’re set to turn on before the early sunsets that accompany the winter months to make sure seniors are able to the areas around doorways and avoid potential tripping or slipping hazards.

Outside the home, there are several maintenance tasks that should be completed both at the beginning and as needed throughout the season to mitigate safety hazards. Rain gutters should be clear of leaves and other obstructions that came accumulate throughout the fall. Gutters that are partially or completely blocked by leaves and other debris can overflow and cause damage to the home or create puddles on the ground, which freeze in cold weather and create dangerous conditions on sidewalks and near entryways. As winter storms hit throughout the season, it’s important to clear ice and snow from sidewalks, steps and driveways on an ongoing basis to eliminate slippery conditions that create dangerous falls. It’s also important to spread salt on outdoor areas where seniors walk to prevent dangerous ice patches from forming.

Because most seniors spend less time outdoors and are less active during the winter, they often lack vitamin D and take on a greater risk of catching colds. Even if seniors do spend enough time outdoors, winter sunlight is not strong enough for the body to make a sufficient amount of vitamin D for most people who live north of Atlanta. For this reason, ensuring seniors maintain a health, balanced diet. Foods that are rich in vitamin D include beef, fish, milk, yogurt and breakfast staples such as orange juice, egg yolks, oatmeal and cereal. Pudding made with milk is a tasty treat that can be an easy way to get seniors to consume more vitamin D.

When seniors are outside the home, it’s important that they’re dressed properly for winter conditions. Keeping them bundled up in layered, loose-fitting clothing and wear warm hats and waterproof gloves or mittens can help stave off dangerous winter maladies such as hypothermia, pneumonia and bronchitis. Making sure seniors are equipped to stay warm when outdoors is a good way to encourage them to spend at least some time outside when possible. Fresh air and sun light can go a long way toward improving seniors’ mood, which has a positive impact on their physical health as well.

If seniors are still driving on their own, it’s important to prepare their vehicle for winter as well. Cars should be inspected by a qualified mechanic to make sure they’re in good working condition to minimize the risk seniors become stranded in cold weather. Mechanics should check the car’s heating system and defrosters to make sure they works well, and cars should be equipped with snow tires and winter windshield solution to help melt ice. Seniors should also have a working cell phone and know how to use it in case they get stuck in the car and need to call for help.

While it’s important for everyone to be ready to deal with dangerous winter conditions, seniors are especially vulnerable to the dangers that come from cold, icy weather. Taking the time to think ahead and make sure seniors are prepared to remain happy and healthy until spring.