Ohio Committee for Severe Weather Awareness Winter Health & Safety Tips

Winter Health and Safety Tips

Winter’s various dangers to people can occur suddenly, like a heart attack while shoveling snow, or slow and stealthily like carbon monoxide poisoning. Hypothermia and frostbite are always a concern, especially for the elderly and for people with chronic health conditions. The Ohio Department of Health and the Ohio Department of Aging offer these safety tips to help keep you and your family safe this winter season.

Snow Shoveling Safety

Keep walkways around the home clear of snow and ice. Snow shoveling can cause serious injuries or death to people who are elderly, have chronic health problems or are not used to strenuous activity. If you are in one of these categories, you may want to use a snow blower or hire a snow removal service.

If you choose to do this heavy work yourself, remember that your body may tire quicker in the cold. Do not overextend yourself. Take short breaks in between shoveling. Exhaustion can make the body more susceptible to cold injuries.

Tips:

• Wear sturdy shoes with rugged soles to help prevent slips and falls.
• Never smoke while shoveling. Tobacco smoke constricts blood vessels just as cold air does; the combination could be dangerous.
• If you become short of breath while shoveling, stop and rest. If you feel pain or tightness in your chest, become dizzy, faint or start sweating heavily, stop immediately and call for help.
• Have a partner monitor your progress and share the workload. If you have a heart attack, your partner can call for help and if trained, perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) until help arrives.
• Use a sturdy, lightweight shovel to push the snow out of the way. If you must lift the snow, take small scoops. A shovel-full of dry snow can weigh about four pounds; wet snow can weigh significantly more.
• Warm up before shoveling by walking and stretching your arms and legs for a few minutes. Warm muscles are less likely to be injured and work more efficiently.
• If you use a snow blower, keep in mind that pushing a snow blower through heavy, packed snow can present a health risk.

Avoiding Slips and Falls

To lessen the chances of falls and slips, wear non-skid boots. If you use a cane or walker, ensure that the rubber tip is fairly new and has treads. If the rubber tip is worn smooth, it can become slippery, especially when wet.

Frostbite

Frostbite is the most common cold-related injury. Frostbite is an injury to the body caused by freezing of skin tissue. Frostbite causes loss of feeling and color in the affected areas. It most often affects the nose, ears, cheeks, chin, fingers or toes. Frostbite can permanently damage the body and severe cases can lead to amputation. The risk of frostbite is increased in people with reduced blood circulation, those who drink alcoholic beverages, the elderly and people who are not dressed properly for extremely cold temperatures.

Tips:

• To prevent frostbite and hypothermia, it is important to dress warmly in layers of loose, windproof clothing which will aid in trapping body heat. Don’t forget to put on gloves or mittens and wear a hat that covers the ears. Be sure the outer layer of clothing is tightly woven to reduce body heat loss.
• Go indoors when your body begins to feel cold.

Frostbite occurs in three stages:
1. Early frostbite usually causes a reddening of the skin, followed by tingling and loss of feeling.
2. Middle-degree frostbite causes the skin to turn white (or gray for darker toned skin).
3. Severe frostbite causes the skin to turn hard; gangrenous frostbite causes the skin to form blisters and blacken.

Hypothermia

Hypothermia is an abnormally low body temperature, often caused by staying in a cool place for too long. Each year in the United States, approximately 700 people die of hypothermia.

According to the Ohio Department of Health, Center for Public Health Statistics and Informatics, preliminary data indicate there were 46 Ohio deaths associated with hypothermia in 2008 and 36 Ohio hypothermia-associated deaths through October 2009. See chart below:

Long exposure to the cold when it is wet, windy and 30 to 50 degrees can be just as hazardous as dry and calm sub-zero weather. Wet clothes quickly draw heat from the body. In extremely cold weather, no one should participate in outdoor sports activities alone. People should drink plenty of nonalcoholic beverages to stay hydrated in cold, dry air.

Hypothermia can occur even inside a building. The thermostat should be set no lower than 65 or 70 degrees if the occupants are 75 or older.

Signs of Hypothermia

• Confusion or memory loss
• Sleepiness
• Slowed, slurred speech or shallow breathing
• Weak pulse or low blood pressure
• Exhaustion
• A change in behavior during cold weather or a change in the way a person normally looks
• A lot of shivering or no shivering; stiffness in the arms or legs
• Poor control over body movements or slow reactions
• Chilly rooms or other signs that a person has been in a cold place

Who is at risk of hypothermia and how can it be prevented?

Infants younger than one year of age are at risk. They should never sleep in a cold room and should wear warm clothing and a have blanket to prevent loss of body heat.

• Changes in your body that come with aging can make it harder to adjust to decreasing temperatures. It may be harder for your body to warm itself. Pay attention to how cold it is where you are.
• If you don’t eat well, you might have less fat under your skin. Fat can protect your body. It keeps heat in your body. Make sure you are eating enough food to keep up your weight.
• People with serious mental illnesses, developmental or cognitive disabilities who may not hear temperature or weather advisory warnings broadcast on TV or radio or may not fully recognize the significance of the cold weather warnings or who may wander are at serious risk of hypothermia and frostbite.
• Some medicines can increase the risk of accidental hypothermia. These include drugs used to treat anxiety, depression, or nausea. Some over-the-counter cold remedies can also cause problems.

Some illnesses may make it harder for your body to stay warm. They include:

• Disorders of the body’s hormone system such as low thyroid (hypothyroidism)
• Any condition that interferes with the normal flow of blood such as diabetes
• Skin problems, such as psoriasis, cause your body to lose more heat than normal. Visit your doctor regularly to help keep any illness under control, and try to stay away from cold places.

Other health conditions might hinder the ability for people to either move to a warmer place, or put on additional clothing, or wrap up in a blanket. For example:

• Severe arthritis, Parkinson’s disease, or other illnesses can physically make it harder to move around.
• A debilitating illness such as a stroke can leave a person paralyzed and impair the ability to think clearly.
• Memory disorders or dementia can impair the ability to think clearly and make simple decisions.
• A fall or other injury can hinder movement or judgment.

Alcoholic drinks can also make a person lose body heat faster. People at risk of hypothermia should use alcohol moderately, if at all. They should not drink alcohol before bedtime when the temperatures become colder.

What can you do if you think someone might have hypothermia?

First, take his or her temperature. If the temperature does not rise above 96 degrees, call for help. This person must be seen by a physician.

While waiting for help to arrive, keep the person warm and dry. Wrap the person in extra blankets, coats, towels. Use whatever you may have available. Your own body can serve as warmth. Lie close, but be gentle. Rubbing the skin of an older adult can make problems worse because his/her skin is thinner and could easily be torn or injured by vigorous rubbing. Set the thermostat for at least 68 to 70 degrees.

Remember to check the forecast for very cold or very windy weather. On these days, it might be best to remain indoors.