GPs in Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge are asking local residents to check on vulnerable and frail elderly relatives and neighbours to ensure they are warm and well during this weekend’s cold snap.
The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning affecting the Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge area this weekend as temperatures fall significantly, bringing a risk of snow.
Local are being asked to check on older neighbours and relatives, and those with heart or respiratory (breathing) problems, to make sure they’re safe and well, are warm enough, and have stocks of food and medicines so they don’t need to go out during very cold weather.
Dr Ed Ford, a GP and Chairman of Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group, pictured above, says: “If you or a relative are vulnerable to asthma and long-term breathing problems please keep warm and keep well.”
“If you have asthma or long-term health problems please take some sensible precautions, like staying indoors on the coldest days, keeping rooms heated to at least 18 degrees centigrade, drinking plenty of warm drinks and having some over-the -counter cold or flu remedies in the home.”
“Friends and neighbours can help by checking on the elderly and vulnerable and offering to collect food from a local shop.”
This winter, local hospitals have seen exceptionally high numbers of frail elderly patients needing to be admitted to hospital after experiencing heart and breathing difficulties, often aggravated by long-term conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and seasonal cold and flu-like infections.
Follow these tips to keep you and your family warm and well at home:
• If you’re not very mobile, are 65 or over, or have a health condition, such as heart or lung disease, heat your home to at least 18C (65F)
• Keep your bedroom at 18C all night if you can – and keep the bedroom window closed
• During the day you may prefer your living room to be slightly warmer than 18C
• If you start to feel unwell, even if it’s a cough or cold, don’t wait until it gets more serious. Seek advice from your pharmacist.
• Wear several layers of clothes rather than one chunky layer – clothes made from cotton, wool or fleecy fibres help to maintain body heat
• Use a hot water bottle or electric blanket to keep warm in bed – but don’t use both at the same time
• Have at least one hot meal a day – eating regularly helps keep you warm; and make sure you have hot drinks regularly
• Try not to sit still for more than an hour or so indoors – get up and stretch your legs
• Stay active – even moderate exercise can help keep you warm
• Wrap a scarf loosely around your mouth when outdoors – add a hat and wear shoes with a good grip, too. If you have a heart or respiratory problem, stay indoors during very cold weather
If you’re concerned that the person may be suffering from hypothermia, telephone NHS 111. For advice on how to keep well and keep warm this winter visit the NHS Choices web site here.
