Winter has come, and the terminal snow will soon grace our lands to create a winter wonderland! This beautiful season brings occasions to make food, have fun, and create memories. Though it will look elegantly ornamented outside with holiday lights, and a beautiful blanket of snow, along with the splendor comes perilous snowfalls, snowstorms, sleet, ice, subzero temperatures, and many other dangerous weather conditions that cause risks, particularly for the elderly. These climate conditions can cause ailments, sicknesses, frostbite, hypothermia, and most frequently, slips and falls on ice or wet rugs. On the other hand, not only does the winter weather bring bodily limitations for senior’s health and wellbeing, but also periodic emotional menaces as well.
As one of the best senior living communities in Anchorage, Baxter Senior Living emphasizes elderly care especially when the winter weather is around. We will help you to understand winter hazards for senior citizens and prepare them before time. First, we will talk about how winter weather can affect the elderly, and then we will discuss ways to help prepare our elderly loved ones for winter weather.
1.) Falling Ill
The cold makes it difficult for the body to stay healthy, and also forces people to stay indoors most of the time. This condition accelerates the spreading of germs and upsurges the probability of falling ill. For senior citizens, several problems are more frequent in winters, such as influenza, tuberculosis, pneumonia, fever, bodily cramps, bodily pain, joint issues, norovirus, common cold, cold sores, and dry skin. Baxter Senior living helps prepare their senior residents by encouraging maintainenace of a healthy nutritious diet, which would boost the immunity of the body. We recommend senior citizens to stay warm by wearing seasonal clothes and staying inside.
To know more about healthy food for the elderly, read this: Healthy Winter Foods for Alaskan Seniors
2.) Heart Problems
One of the most crucial aspects of a senior’s life is their health. Their health could be jeopardized when they get exposed to the winter cold. Cardiovascular complications like a heart attack or stroke could easily emanate from such conditions. Lower temperatures force the heart to overwork to maintain the normal blood pressure, which could cause extra stress on the heart of the elderly. Older adults should always have the right clothing to stay warm and have electric equipment, such as heaters, or a hot water bottle to keep them warm.
Baxter Senior Living recommends their Alaskan citizens to wear layered clothing. We have noticed that thin or lean senior citizens are particularly at risk of cardiovascular issues as they don’t possess the fat layers to keep them warm and maintain the healthy blood flow to prevent them against the winter cold. We ensure that senior citizens living in Baxter stay warm in winter weather.
In temperate areas, such as the Northern parts of the U.S, cold air constricts the blood vessels and reduces the oxygen flow. Moreover, additional air could increase the risk of a heart attack or stroke. This necessitates that we prepare our elderly loved ones for winters in every possible way.
To know more about senior living services, read on: So What is Assisted Living Exactly?
3.) Elevated Risk Of Arthritis
The feeling of stiffness increases and joint pain becomes more elevated in cold weather. A recent scientific report found that fluctuating weather and extremely cold temperature is likely to cause these ailments. In senior citizens, this can lead to great discomfort and inflammatory pain. Baxter assisted living Alaska highly considers these issues for their senior inhabitants and takes considerable action to educate and empower a healthy diet, proper exercise, and involvement in physical activities, which is healthy for Alaskan seniors. We support our seniors by creating anti-inflammatory foods, coordinating exercise classes, and the warmth to minimize the effects of arthritis.
Now, let’s look at how we can minimize these risks by preparing our seniors adequately during winter.
1.) Plan adequately
Planning is a must in order to prepare for the physical and emotional stressors to which the elderly can be exposed. Ensuring that there is enough lighting in the residential place to balance any darkness that might crop in, is the first thing you should focus on. It is also crucial to keep the following items in mind before winter begins:
- Stock up enough groceries
- Ensure there are enough sources of Vitamin-D, as the sun will not shine daily
- Dress warmly and make sure your loved one has enough warm clothing
- Prepare the vehicle for harsh weather, should you have an inevitable trip during your stay
2.) Stay active
During winter, it is a common occurrence to find the elderly confined to their homes. Being sedentary could be a considerable risk to the elderly’s heart, and it is important to find ways to keep them active. After knowing what their capabilities are, try to find some ways to maintain their regular physical activity during this period. The following are some suggestions that could be of great help to the elderly:
- Buy exercise equipment based on your senior’s needs or let them join an exercise or yoga course
- Make an exercise goal for them, for instance, telling them to walk around the house every three hours could improve their body warmth
- Talk to a personal doctor or trainer for some exercises that they could do at home
To learn more about senior exercises, read on: Exercise for Alaskan senior citizens
3.) Always communicate
There is a great probability that your loved one might not share or talk about his/her needs and demands, especially in the winter weather when things get difficult to reach. They might have winter sickness, so you should maintain regular communication with them. At Baxter, our caregivers, on-duty staff, and contracted staff frequently visit and check-in our community members. At Baxter assisted housing Alaska, we make sure that the elderly are getting all the required necessities that are essential for winter weather.
To help you prepare your senior for a healthier and happier winter, consider following these tips:
- Set up an online communication system, such as skype, to prevent them from having depression
- Check what your loved one is feeling daily. This should be accompanied by knowledge on signs of frostbite and hypothermia. If you are around, you should check their fingers and toes if they are an average color. Should you notice some discoloration or a waxy feeling, seek medical attention.
A Wintry Note to Storm
As they grow older, they become more fragile and important for their children. Our seniors are the gems of our society, so they require pivotal care and protection. In this article, Baxter senior living Anchorage explained some non-clinical ways to prepare your seniors for winter, as we usually do in our senior housing facility. We prefer adding daily outdoor walks, hosting light exercise sessions, promoting technique to stay warm, enoucraing wearing warm winter clothes, keeping the heaters functional, and preparing healthy nutritious meals to help our seniors stay healthy in winters. We offer several residential social engagement activities. Our winter residential activities are especially created to establish a vibrant indoor environment for our Alaskan seniors in our senior housing Anchorage Alaska.
For more detail, contact us here.
