It’s the time of year when care providers and family members need to start thinking about winter wellness tips for seniors.
Keeping warm in winter is important for all of us – but especially for older people. As a care worker, you need to make sure that your clients are warm and safe.
Clients should be encouraged to stay active, and, as carers, you can help by ensuring that their rooms are comfortable and safe.
In this article, we’ll explain the importance of winter wellness, how to stay warm at this time of year, and some key winter wellness tips for seniors.
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The importance of winter wellness for older adults
Unfortunately, there are a lot of dangers in winter for older people. These can include:
- Slippery surfaces pose safety risks for everyone, but especially those with mobility or balance problems. Icy or slippery floors can lead to falls, which can cause serious injuries in older people.
- Cold temperatures can be particularly dangerous for older people and those with complex health conditions. They may find it harder to keep their body heat up, especially if they can’t easily move around to keep warm.
- Some illnesses are more common in winter. Younger people might recover quickly from a cold or vomiting bug, but these conditions can be more serious for older people or those with underlying health conditions.
- Many people struggle with their mental health during winter. Shorter days and isolation due to poor weather can contribute to seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and feelings of loneliness.
Five winter wellness tips for seniors
Fortunately, there are things you can do to help your clients stay safe this winter.
Good care planning can help you maintain a safe and warm environment for your service users during winter. Digital care planning software can help carers and family members track and manage their clients’ needs, helping to make sure that they’re comfortable and safe.
Here are our top winter wellness tips for seniors:
Winter wellness tips for seniors: keep warm in winter
Older people and people with complex health conditions may be more susceptible to hypothermia.
As it gets colder, you should make sure that your clients know how to stay warm in the winter. Whether they’re spending time indoors or outside, you can help them maintain a healthy body temperature.
Keeping warm in the home
If your clients live in a care home, the environment is probably already at a safe temperature. The NHS recommended room temperature for winter is at least 18°C (64°F), and many care facilities are regularly heated higher than this. However, if your service users live in the community, you should encourage them to keep their homes warm.
It might be difficult to keep a client’s house or flat heated to the correct temperature, especially if it’s older or draughty. Some clients might not want to have the heating constantly turned up, especially if they’re concerned about paying heating bills.
You can help a home keep warm in winter by:
- Using heavy curtains or blinds to keep heat in – especially at night
- Keeping doors closed to stop heat escaping into empty rooms
- Using draught excluders at the bottom of doors
- Putting rugs on wooden or tiled floors
- Moving furniture to make sure it’s not blocking radiators or fires
As well as keeping a warm environment, you can encourage clients to stay warm at home by:
- Wearing layers of clothing: Encourage your service users to wear several thin layers rather than one thick layer. Doing this traps warm air between the layers, providing better insulation and keeping them warmer.
- Using throws or blankets when sitting down: Have blankets available near their chair or sofa, so they can always reach them if they start to feel cold.
- Enjoying hot drinks and food: Hot food and drink can help your clients stay warm. If they struggle to make their own food and drinks, you could prepare them in advance and store them in easily-accessible insulated flasks or containers.
- Using additional heat sources safely: Your clients may like electric blankets, hot water bottles and space heaters for extra warmth. They may use heated clothing for the elderly, such as jackets or slippers with heat packs included. Make sure that they’re following safety guidelines to reduce the risk of fire – and to avoid overheating or burns and scalds.
- Staying active indoors: Encourage your service users to keep moving to keep their bodies warm. Even if they have mobility difficulties, they may be able to do gentle exercises such as stretching, chair yoga, or walking in place.
If your clients are receiving home care, it’s important for all their carers to be aware of how to keep them safe this winter. Home care software can be an invaluable tool for coordinating care and ensuring that you’re making winter wellness a priority.
Keeping warm outside
As well as keeping warm at home, if your clients are going outside, it’s important to encourage them to stay warm and safe.
- Layer up and protect their extremities: Keep them warm with thick socks, gloves, and hats. Hands, feet and heads are particularly vulnerable to heat loss. Use a scarf to cover their mouth and nose to avoid too much cold air.
- Choose appropriate footwear: Make sure they’re wearing warm boots with non-slip soles. Check shoes and boots for holes or areas where water can get in, and encourage clients not to wear heels.
- Limit exposure to the cold: Plan outdoor activities for the warmest parts of the day, and avoid going outside in extremely cold or wet conditions.
Winter wellness tips for seniors: stay active
Staying active is important for winter wellbeing. Despite the cold weather, everyone should try to get some physical activity. After all, we know that it can have mental health benefits as well as improving our physical health.
Your service users don’t need to be outside to stay active. You could encourage them to try some of the following activities:
- Gentle stretching or chair yoga to improve flexibility and balance
- Light weightlifting with household items, such as tins or bottles, to improve and maintain muscle strength
- Walking around the home or doing gentle balance exercises to reduce the risk of falls
- Using fitness equipment such as a treadmill or exercise bike, if it’s available and they feel confident to do so
If your service users live in a care home or attend a day centre, there may be exercise classes on offer, specifically designed for older people or those with complex health conditions. For clients receiving home care, there might be classes available at nearby community centres, church halls, or gyms.
Exercise classes don’t just provide physical benefits. They’re also a great chance to socialise, helping older people combat isolation and loneliness.
Winter wellness tips for seniors: eat a healthy diet
As well as knowing how to keep warm this winter, carers should make sure that their clients are eating well.
A balanced diet can help boost the immune system, helping your service users fight off winter illnesses. And it’s equally important to make sure that they’re drinking enough, even if they don’t feel as thirsty as in the warmer months.
You can help your clients stay well this winter by supporting them to:
- Eat warming foods, such as soups, stews and casseroles. These are also great dishes for including plenty of vegetables and protein sources.
- Focus on immune-boosting foods, such as those rich in vitamin D and zinc. Make sure they’re eating plenty of citrus foods, leafy greens, fish, and nuts, if dietary restrictions allow.
- Stay hydrated, drinking the equivalent of eight glasses of water a day. Warm herbal teas, soups, and broth also count towards their fluid intake.
Ensuring that your clients get proper nutrition and hydration is a key aspect of their care. Supported living software can help care staff track dietary needs, preferences, and hydration levels, ensuring that residents receive personalised care.
Winter wellness tips for seniors: take precautions to avoid falls
Knowing how to keep yourself warm in a cold room is important, but avoiding falls and injuries is just as crucial.
Your service users may have an increased risk of falling if they have mobility problems, poor balance, or visual impairment. Around 50 percent of people over 80 fall at least once a year. These falls can lead to serious consequences, such as hip fractures or head injuries.
As a care provider, you can’t prevent all falls – but you can make the environment safer to reduce the risk for your clients.
How to reduce the risk of falls
- Encourage clients to wear footwear with non-slip soles when venturing outside
- Support clients to use a stick or walker if necessary
- Keep walkways, steps, and driveways clear of snow and ice
- Spread salt or sand on icy areas
- Make sure there’s adequate lighting
- Remove clutter and secure loose rugs to prevent tripping hazards
- Install grab bars in the bathroom
- Conduct regular risk assessments to identify potential hazards
Winter wellness tips for seniors: look after your mental health
Of course, it’s not just physical health and keeping warm in winter for the elderly that you need to consider. Winter wellbeing also includes looking after your clients’ mental health.
Many people struggle with their mental health in winter, especially if they can’t get out easily or they’ve been ill. Coping with the festive season can also be hard for some people, particularly if they’ve recently suffered a bereavement.
You can encourage your service users to look after their mental health by taking part in activities, spending time with friends and family, and getting plenty of exposure to natural light.
However, this isn’t always enough, and if you suspect that a client is depressed, anxious, or struggling with another mental health condition, encourage them to talk to their GP or a counsellor.
Conclusion: Winter wellbeing
This winter, make sure that your service users stay warm and safe. Keep their environment heated to the NHS recommended room temperature for winter, and encourage them to wear layers, eat warm food, and use blankets to keep cosy.
However, keeping warm isn’t the only thing to consider when thinking about winter wellness. How to stay warm is obviously important knowledge, but, as care providers, you also need to make sure that your clients are eating well, staying active, and avoiding accidents.
Whether your clients live in a residential facility or in their own homes, it’s crucial to make sure that they’re connected to the wider community. This is important any time of year, but especially in winter, when many people struggle with their mental health. Help your service users check in with healthcare providers and stay connected to family and friends, so that they can thrive during the winter months.
