Winter Safety Tips

Most winter-related deaths are indirectly related to a storm.  People die in traffic accidents on icy roads, have heart attacks while shoveling snow, or succumb to hypothermia from prolonged exposure to cold.   Across the U.S., nearly 700 people die of hypothermia every winter—and thousands more are treated for this dangerous condition.  Elderly people are especially at risk for being affected by winter weather.

Hypothermia means that the temperature of the body has fallen below 95°F.   At that temperature, the heart, nervous system and other organs cannot function properly.  Hypothermia is serious and can lead to unconsciousness and, eventually, to death. 

Frostbite is the result of exposure to very cold temperatures, where freezing causes harm to tissue. It usually injures small, exposed extremities far from the body’s core. The major symptoms are loss of feeling and color.  In severe cases, the affected body tissue dies and must be surgically removed.

Power outages can be a winter safety hazard.  A harsh winter storm can cut off the electric power to a client’s home.  If this happens, you must find an alternative power source within the home, another heat source, or move the client to another dwelling. It is harmful for a client, especially an elderly one, to be in a cold home or apartment... but be safe! Fireplaces, wood burning stoves and oil heaters all carry the risk of starting a fire that could hurt or kill your client.

A FEW KEY WINTER SAFETY TIPS!

• Review winter weather terms so you know what it means to be under a winter weather watch, warning or advisory.  Make sure you know your role in your organization’s winter disaster plan, too.
• Keep yourself and your clients informed about upcoming harsh winter weather by watching the local forecast on TV and/or by listening to the radio.  Check with your supervisor if there is a winter storm on the local forecast and you have concern for any client who could be isolated by the storm. 
• Help prevent hypothermia by remembering C.O.L.D. :  Cover up to prevent heat loss; Overexertion and sweating can lead to heat loss; Layers of lightweight clothing are a good way to maintain body heat; Keep yourself and your clients as Dry as possible.
• Prepare your clients for winter weather by helping them put together an emergency kit and checking that they have an ample supply of medications, batteries, water, and non-perishable food.
• Consider creating an emergency kit for your car...in case you get stranded in a winter storm.