As seen in Part 1 of this 2 Part Series on WINTER HEALTH AND SAFETY PROBLEMS, certain unique situations can occur during the Midwest’s long, cold, and dreary weather to challenge our residents’ health and safety. This brief Part 2 will explain a few top safety precautions to take while living in Sun City this season.
Also a word to the wise: “Use your socialization skills to combat loneliness. Don’t let Huntley’s cloudy weather get you down. But be safe in all of your winter endeavors! And keep exercising both your body and mind to stay well!”
Auto accidents
It is a known fact that seniors (adults over the age of 65) are involved, per mile, in more driven car crashes than those in nearly all other age groups. Because of non-optimal winter road driving conditions, be extremely vigilant and take these recommended precautions from HealthinAging.org:
1. Winterize your car: Check and change, where necessary, your tires, antifreeze, and windshield wipers.
2. Take your cell phone with you at all times. Always alert others in your household to where you are going and when you will be back.
3. Avoid (where you can) icy roads. Often bigger highways are given snow clearance quicker than smaller roads. Choose the safer alternative to routes, especially driven for long distances.
4. Be especially careful on overpasses or bridges where their surfaces may freeze quicker than ground surfaced roads.
5. Stock your car with winter emergency supplies. These lists should include the following items: A first aid kit, blankets, extra warm clothes, a windshield scraper, a shovel, booster cables, a flashlight, rock salt or a bag of sand or kitty litter for stuck wheels, water, dried food or canned food with an opener, and a map if traveling into unfamiliar territory.
Fires and carbon monoxide
Be aware of safety in using fireplaces or other heating sources in the winter. Make sure that fireplaces, wood and gas stoves, and gas appliances are properly cleaned and vented. Their unsafe usage can lead to dangerous amounts of deadly carbon dioxide, a gas that cannot be seen or smelled. Together along with space heaters, these unchecked heating devices can also become fire hazards.
Be aware of the warning signs of carbon dioxide poisoning: headaches, weakness, dizziness, nausea or vomiting, blurred vision, confusion, and unconsciousness. An ALERT: If these symptoms occur, get into outdoor air immediately and seek medical help.
Precautions to take before these heating devices are used, according to HealthinAging.org are the following:
1. Call an inspector to annually check chimneys and flues.
2. Open a window (just a crack) if using a kerosene stove.
3. Place smoke and battery-operated carbon monoxide detectors in locations where fireplaces, wood stoves, or kerosene heaters are used.
4. Make sure that space heaters are at least 3 feet away from anything that might catch fire such as bedding, curtains, and furniture.
5. Don’t use a gas stove, charcoal grill, or other stoves not meant for home heating.
6. NEVER TRY TO PUT OUT A FIRE! Leave your home IMMEDIATELY and call 911!
