Helping to Keep Everyone Warm in Winter at Baxendale Care Home

One of the biggest challenges many pensioners face during winter is staying warm enough, particularly with the rising cost of heating and the removal of the Winter Fuel Allowance. Many of the worst cold snaps take place in the first couple of months of the new year.

So, here are some top tips for the elderly to ensure they don’t have any problems over the winter months – and the reasons why any plummeting temperatures shouldn’t be a problem for anyone inside Baxendale Care Home, a residential caring home in North London.

Why Keeping Warm Should be a Priority for Pensioners

Pensioners have weaker immune systems, which means they are more vulnerable to coughs and colds, and any winter viruses. Their muscle mass may deteriorate over the years as well, making it harder to move about and keep physically active (thus generating body heat).

It’s not just picking up new illnesses to worry about, the cold can also make existing health conditions harder to manage, particularly ones which affect the heart, and the circulation of the blood.

The cold can also increase the risk of hypothermia, a stroke or a heart attack, which makes staying warm all the more important.

Top Tips for Pensioners Looking to Keep Warm This Winter

There are a number of steps the elderly can take to minimise the risks from any sudden, severe or prolonged cold spells. These include:

Keep on Moving – move around at least once an hour even if you are sitting down, as this helps improve the circulation; also raise your feet off the ground as the air is colder nearer the floor.

Wear Lots of Layers – lots of thin layers are usually better than one thick layer, particularly if the former includes a thermal vest as a base layer, or a long-sleeved top. This is particularly true you are thinking of going outside.

Take Plenty of Hot Meals (including drinks) – The types of meals which the elderly should be considering include porridge, jacket potatoes, pasta, soups and stews – it should be possible to prepare these on a budget. And you should always try to eat your five a day when it comes to fruit and vegetables, as this will help your body’s immune system stay in top shape.

Be Smart with your Heating – although the cost of gas and oil has been rising in recent years, a few sensible steps can reduce your bill. Only turn on the radiators in rooms as and when you need them (for example, your bedroom at night, living room during the day) and using a draught excluder at the base of any door will cut the heat loss. Keep your curtains open during the day to let in sunlight and warmth, but then close them when it gets dark; and consider hot water bottles or electric blankets when going to bed to help stay warm throughout the night.

What Baxendale Do

Just as we take steps to ensure that everyone stays cool in summer, we also ensure that everyone is warm and comfortable in winter.

Our residents have complete control of the temperature in their bedrooms – either the heating or the air-conditioning. There are also some backup radiators which provide additional heat in extremely cold weather.

The communal areas are heated by thermostats which are set to recommended temperatures, and all of them have now had air conditioning installed as well. Just as keeping windows, blinds and curtains closed helps during the summer, the same is also true for winter once the sun has gone down.

Baxendale Care Home, a Residential Caring Home in North London

At Baxendale, we cater for people with a variety of health conditions. We can act as a long- or short-term care home, a respite care home or a dementia care home, and we are located near Barnet in North London.

If you would like to know more about us – and that includes working here as well as staying here as a resident – then follow this link and fill in the online form. You can also call us on 020 8445 1127.