01905 29950Preparing For Winter
Are you prepared for winter?
It seems as though overnight, the weather has gone from being mild and pleasant, to bitter and angry! Unfortunately, this puts many at heightened risk of all kinds of illness, as when the temperature falls below 8 degrees the risk of flu, heart attack, stroke, pneumonia and hyperthermia all increase, along with risks of falling or becoming injured. Also, people who suffer from dementia or depression can be particularly susceptible to the cold and its physical and mental effects.
According to The Guardian, there were over 50,100 deaths in England and Wales during the Winter of 2017/2018, a 45% increase on the previous year. This presented the NHS with the largest ‘Winter Crisis’ it had ever seen. So, to battle against the cold this year, we have created a list of recommendations you can do to prepare yourself and your home for the winter ahead.
In the meantime, here at Countrywide Mobility, we have lots of mobility aids at our store in Worcester to help you stay independent this season.
Preparing yourself for the winter
Looking after yourself this winter has to be your number one priority. Health can easily deteriorate over the colder months, so you need to be as prepared as possible before the peak months set in. Here are a few things you can do:
- Flu Jab – If you are 65 or over, you should be able to get this vaccination for free on the NHS. This can help you to fight off diseases such as the common cold.
- Keep active! – Keeping active is incredibly important to your health all year round, but especially during the winter. Maintaining a good level of activity can help to improve your heart health, lung function and will keep you warmer. We have a range of mobility aids in Worcester - from tri walkers to rollators, walking sticks to scooters.
- Eat plenty – It’s also important to ensure your body is fuelled correctly, so eating enough to keep you on the move is vital.
- Hot baths and showers – Another easy, and relaxing, way of keeping warm is to have regular warm baths and showers. Not only will this help to keep you warm, but they’ll also leave you feeling great!
- Wear layers – If you know you need to leave your home, it’s a good idea to wrap up in plenty of layers. These layers will help to efficiently keep the heat in and your body warm.
- Check the weather forecast and plan your route if you’re leaving your home.
Preparing your home for the winter
Your house is your home and you need to make sure that it is doing everything it can to keep you protected from the harsh weather outside. This may mean you have to put in a little work to get it ready, but it will certainly help you through the coming months.
- Insulation – Ensuring your home is insulated correctly will help to keep you warm and your heating bills down! It may be worth checking in your loft to see if you have sufficient insulation but also preparing some DIY solutions such as buying longer, thicker curtains, using draft excluders on external doors and lining tin foil behind your radiators to ensure you don’t lose any heat to exterior walls are great ideas.
- Heating – Your heating is going to be key through the cold months to keep you warm. Getting your boiler serviced before the peak of winter will ensure it is ready to run efficiently and faultlessly through the winter. You wouldn’t drive a car on a long journey without checking the oil, tyres and petrol levels first! Once this is done, we recommend bleeding your radiators and then setting your heating on a timer for when you are in the house.
- Insurance – You may not have thought about this, but it’s worth checking your home insurance policy for your coverage when it comes to ‘Acts of God.’ You may find that some insurance brokers may refuse to pay your claim if they deem that the homeowner hasn’t maintained their home to a sufficient standard. To avoid this, make sure you’re taking care of any repairs when they are required.
Keeping up your independence throughout the winter is also very important, so get in touch with a member of our team to find out more about our mobility aids. Based in Worcester, our mobility shop stocks a wide range of scooters, wheelchairs, tri walkers and other mobility aids. So, get prepared this winter and come on down.
