The cold weather can be difficult for everyone. The cold and dark nights can decrease motivation and mood, as well as be difficult to live in comfortably. The cold weather can be particularly challenging for the young and the old and bring a few challenges and health-related risks, such as hypothermia.
This blog aims to advise on how best to take care of older people in these challenging months to keep them warm, safe, and happy.
Stay warm
It goes without saying that the winter months are freezing. Seniors are at a higher risk of developing health-related issues in the cold months since their bodies cannot withstand low temperatures for long periods. It is best for the senior members of your family to stay indoors and avoid leaving the house for long period of the day, particularly if they’re going to be outside for that time.
If you know someone who may struggle getting around or supporting themselves in the winter months, it may be worth looking into domestic support such as elder care, personal care services or domestic support. Additionally, things such as medication services or meal preparation services can be worthwhile to take some of the pressure off your elderly loved one to stay on top of their well-being.
Alternatively, if you’re particularly worried about your elderly relative you can rely on personal care services to provide a night sitting service to make sure your loved one has well looked after.
Keep active
Winter can seem like the perfect time to stay dormant and relax inside in the warm, it is important to stay active. It is recommended to stay active and engaged as exercise can help increase your heart rate, regulate blood flow, and keep winter-related depression, lethargy, and stiffness away. Exercise also makes you sweat which can flush out toxins and keep your skin healthy. You could join your elderly loved one every day for a brisk walk in the winter weather or support them in getting out of the house and hire personal care services to assist them on daily errands and socialising.
Hydrate
You may not feel as thirsty in the winter months, but this does not mean you should drink any less. Colder weather means there is less moisture in the air and the dryness can extract water from your body. Dehydration can lead to a number of illnesses, as well as dizziness and headaches. Older people typically drink less and sometimes may even forget to drink through the day, for this reason, it is important they’re encouraged to drink. If you have a particularly high-risk older person in mind, it may be worth hiring domestic support or eldercare to ensure they stay healthy in the winter months.
Eat well
Eating is important always, but in the winter months, we should take extra care of ourselves and eat well. We need it for essential energy, warmth and to keep us going through the dark days as we lose a lot of vitamins provided by the sun, we must stay on top of our nutrition. For older people, it can be a chore to go brave the shops, especially if they must walk or be out in the cold for a long time. To help them you could look into cooking services for elderly, batch cook for them yourself, or even just help with shopping for elder relatives. Popping to the shop for their essentials will be a big help to some.
Heat your homes
As energy prices begin to rocket, our older loved ones may be more conscious of turning on the heating and resulting in making themselves poorly. If this is the case for someone you know, perhaps help them provide a heating budget that fits them. Or if they are especially worried, they could be encouraged to buy a space heater, heated blankets, heating pads or other heating solutions to keep smaller spaces heated and avoid costly energy bills.
Eat vitamins
In the winter we are more susceptible to seasonal depression, lethargy, and low mood. Because we have less daylight we do not take in as many vitamins and this can be bad for our mental health and the functioning of our immune system. It can be incredibly beneficial to take multivitamins and consume healthy food and drinks rich in nutrients to remain happy and healthy. In the winter we especially need vitamins D, E, B and C to stay on top of our health.
Socialise
It can be important to stay on top of seeing friends and loved ones as it provides a huge boost to our mental health and overall well-being. Being shut inside sounds lovely but it can not be good for health and therefore, older loved ones should be checked on regularly and visited to keep them in good spirits.
