When winter’s around the corner, that means it’s time to prepare your home for cold and icy weather. Winterising a house or flat isn’t always fun, but it’s important.

For elderly people’s homes, there are some special considerations to keep in mind for winter safety, too. In this post, we’ve prepared a checklist for seniors and caregivers to go through as you get ready for the end of the year.

Clear gutters

It’s always good to keep gutters clear, but it’s especially essential in wintertime. This is because water trapped in gutters can freeze and cause an ice dam that may damage the gutter and cause water leakage into the home.

Some people may choose to clear gutters themselves, but it’s safer for most seniors to hire someone to do this job.

Clear paths

When snow accumulates and ice obscures paths in winter, it may be easier to trip over obstacles – and that’s bad news for seniors, who are vulnerable to falls. Therefore, in autumn you’ll want to clear any paths outside the home of items like debris or fallen leaves.

If you have a lot of paths by your home that could become slippery, purchase salt or grit early in the season so that you have supplies on hand. Remember that you can salt paths shortly before they are due to become icy as well as after snowfall or ice formation.

Install railings and exterior lights

During dark winter nights, you’ll want to try to prevent falls going in and out of your home. Again, this is a key action for seniors, who are more likely to fall.

You can:

Check that all outdoor steps and stairs are stable
Installing railings by steps and ensuring that existing ones are stable
Installing exterior lights, perhaps motion-detecting ones

If you might need help with the cost of railings, consider getting a home assessment from your council.

Improve insulation

Heating costs are always a concern in the winter. For elderly people on a fixed income, the cost of living can really begin to bite.

However, you can try to lower heating costs by improving the insulation of your home. That could mean loft insulation or wall insulation, although these options may not work in all homes. Ask a specialist for advice.

Also, you can sometimes install a film over your windows to act as a kind of double glazing and trap heat in.

Consider a smart thermostat

As we’ve mentioned, older people are more sensitive to extremes in temperature and less able to endure them.

Also, cold temperatures can raise the likelihood of health problems in some older people. Seniors who have problems with breathing can find that their airways tighten in the cold. Additionally, blood pressure rises in the cold, which can increase the chance of a heart attack or stroke.

A smart thermostat could help you to keep your home’s temperature at or above the minimum safe threshold of 18°C.

Check heating and cooking systems

When temperatures drop, you’re more likely to have heating systems running – and more likely to cook hot meals rather than salads. Plus, your home will probably have less airflow as you close windows against the cold.

Therefore, it’s essential to take steps to ensure all of your home’s components for heat and cooking are working correctly. The UK government advises that you use a Gas Safe® registered engineer to do so.

Check fire alarms and carbon monoxide detectors

Another essential safety point is to check – and potentially replace batteries in – your fire alarm and carbon monoxide detector. Increased use of heating and a lack of airflow can raise risks in both of these areas.

Clean and check chimneys

If you have a chimney and intend to use it for warmth in winter, you’ll need to have it cleaned and checked for any issues. On the other hand, if it’s not used, look into safe methods of blocking it to prevent draughts and heat loss.

Insulate water pipes

The last thing you’ll want in winter is a burst water pipe. That’s why it’s so crucial to insulate pipes with foam wrapping.

Speaking of water, you may need to take similar steps outdoors if you have outside water taps or hoses. Turn off the valve to those outdoor taps and drain the hose so that it doesn’t expand and break. If you can, then take the hose indoors or cover it to insulate and protect it.

Check you’re receiving heating payments, if applicable

As you may know, there is help available from the government toward heating bills for the elderly. One such programme is the Winter Fuel Payment.

You should receive this automatically. If you haven’t, you can try to claim it.

Have power outage supplies at hand

Power outages can strike when they’re least expected – and often at the worst possible times.

It’s well known that elderly people are particularly vulnerable in such situations. They see less well in the dark and their bodies are less able to stay warm in cold temperatures.

Therefore, an elderly person’s home should be well stocked with supplies in case a power outage occurs. That should include battery-powered torches and lights to help prevent falls, plus blankets to stay warm, and a list of essential contact information.

Get a personal alarm for the elderly

In colder weather, when nightfall comes earlier, older people face greater risks of falling. A personal alarm works to reduce the harm of falls by calling for help right away when they happen. Just as importantly, a personal alarm lets an elderly person raise an alert if they’re experiencing a health crisis like a heart attack.

Either way, a personal alarm helps to prevent the poor health outcomes that can result when an elderly person lies on the floor for extended periods of time. This experience is called a ‘long lie,’ and it can cause hypothermia, dehydration, pressure sores and a lack of future mobility, among other problems.

If you are using a personal alarm that relies on a phone landline, talk to your phone company about the importance of your landline connection in case you lose power (more on this below).

Join the Priority Services Register, if applicable

Did you know that there’s a register for vulnerable people, including the elderly, to join for help with utilities?

That’s right – people at or above State Pension age can sign up to the Priority Services Register. This register alerts your power, water or telecommunications supplies that you could be more at risk during interruptions to services.

How SureSafe protects seniors during winter

Getting an elderly personal alarm from SureSafe is a life-changing move to protect an elderly person in the winter. Whether your alarm is a pendant or a wrist alarm, it comes with powerful features to offer peace of mind and safety to older people.

One key function is a one-touch SOS button. This simple button lets the alarm’s wearer call for help with just one touch – enabling seniors who need assistance to call for it without delay, even if they’re feeling unwell and not up to dialling a phone.

A second crucial function is fall detection. When you choose an alarm with this function, it will use three types of sensors to assess whether it believes you have fallen. When the alarm’s algorithm determines that a fall has happened, the alarm will call for help all on its own – even if the wearer is unconscious.

Since no alarm can detect 100% of falls, it’s ideal to have an alarm with both functions for double security.

At SureSafe, we pride ourselves on providing these types of alarms to customers across the UK. Our alarms are industry-leading, easy to use, and highly reviewed.

So, if you’re prepping for the winter, consider adding a personal alarm to your list of safety measures. If you’d like to know more, our expert team will be happy to help! You can call us on 0808 189 1671, reach out through live chat or request a call back.