Winter Weather and the Elderly

Winter Weather and the Elderly

Genesis Home Care hopes everyone’s new year has started of to a great start. Goals are jotted down, new aspirations have formed, and morale is high. If you have read any of our previous blogs you know that safety is something that we try to highlight. As such, as we finalize the first full week of 2018 we would like to again remind everyone of the importance of being safety conscious and prepared.

This has been a particularly frigid January blanketing a vast segment of the continental North America with temps across many regions dipping to record low’s. Unfortunately, as to be expected with any extreme weather, lives have been lost. The one story that stuck out to me and jarred me to write this blog was of a local man right here in the Atlanta area that froze to death (hypothermia) near his wheel chair. Here is a video link of the story.

Although this gentlemen died in the elements it can very easily happen in doors if the structure isn’t properly sealed and heated. Other contributing factors are a persons health condition, diet, hydration, and proper clothing. The elements (both hot and cold) are dangerous to humans as we age because we don’t regulate our body temps as good as we did in our earlier years, we also do not eat or drink enough fluids to stay properly hydrated.

Hypothermia is a medical emergency that occurs when your body loses heat faster than it can produce heat, causing a dangerously low body temperature. Normal body temperature is around 98.6 F (37 C). Hypothermia (hi-poe-THUR-me-uh) occurs as your body temperature falls below 95 F (35 C). This definition was pulled from the mayo clinics website. Read this link to get more info on hypothermia.

When your body temperature drops, your heart, nervous system and other organs can’t work normally. Left untreated, hypothermia can eventually lead to complete failure of your heart and respiratory system and eventually to death. Our very young and elderly populations are most vulnerable to these environmental conditions. Extra attention must be paid to make sure they are properly dressed, fed, and hydrated.

If you find yourself or see someone that is noticeably cold check what we call signs and symptoms to quickly assess the condition; shivering, slurred speech, slow or shallow breathing, weak pulse, clumsiness, low energy, confused, or passed out. If you notice any of these signs and symptoms try to get warm as soon as possible and contact emergency services.

With safety out the way we would like to wish everyone a continued blessed new year. If you have any questions or concerns feel free to contact us. We can assist with a in home safety inspection from a firefighter emergency service perspective. We also, go over your emergency preparedness bag- which is very important for every house hold. If you don’t know what that is we can explain that as well.

Disclaimer: This article is intended as a friendly reminder with recommendations. It is not medical advise, direction or prescription of any sort. Please refer to professional services for any health related questions, concerns and relief.