Elderly urged to stay warm during cold spell

Elderly urged to stay warm during cold spell


Anton McNulty

FAMILY and neighbours of elderly people living on their own have been encouraged to visit them and ensure they have enough food and their houses are adequately heated to deal with the freezing conditions the county is enduring.
Temperatures over the last fortnight have plummeted well below zero degrees and the icy conditions have made the roads and streets treacherous to travel on. As a result Age Action Ireland has said that people aged over-65 are at their most vulnerable and there was a ten per cent rise in the number of deaths in this age bracket during last winter’s cold weather.
In addition to the severe weather forecasts, they said that many support services which older people depend on such as meals on wheels and home care will be suspended for a number of days over the holiday period, making this a particularly difficult time for older people.
James Reddiough of Age Action West encouraged people to keep a close eye on elderly neighbours or friends and ensure that there home is heated.
“I would encourage people to visit an older neighbour or ring them up to see how they are getting on. They should ensure they have plenty of food and drink in the home and have at least one meal a day. During this weather, the roads and footpaths are slippery and for an older person slipping on ice is more serious than for a normal person. Many cannot get out of the house because of the ice and it is important that people visit or ring them. This is a particular problem for people living in rural areas,” he said.
James also encouraged older people to ring their neighbour or a family member to ask them to bring them food or fuel instead of going out in the cold themselves. He also said it was important that they keep warm and advised them to get ESB temperature cards which signify what temperature a room should be.
“When the source of heat is turned off it only takes half an hour before a house can get cold again particularly in older houses. It is important that there is a good heat in the house and a good way of keeping an eye on the temperature is by getting a temperature card. A room should be between 18 and 21 degrees Celsius and the temperature card will gauge the temperature of the room by changing colour. It is important that elderly people stay warm during this cold stretch and they should keep the heat on and wear an extra layer of clothing such as an extra jumper or cardigan,” he said.
Temperature cards are be ordered by calling Age Action on 01 4984746 or by calling the ESB Customer Shop on 1850 37 23 72.