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December 2006 Back to Table of Contents Back to Archives Main Page Section: Being Well Winter Preparations By Toby Laping, Ph. D., C.S.W., Private Care Manager
There’s a long winter ahead and it’s likely that we’ll have more storms. There have been a number of lists published of actions that people can take now to increase their safety during the next storm. Ann Wagner, a care manager in my office, put together some suggestions that go a step further in protecting people. 1. Always keep a current list of your medications and allergies. Make sure it is readily available and updated. This is important for emergency response personnel to have if you are unable to provide that information. 2. Keep your medications in one place and in the correct containers. Keep a close eye on your prescriptions and make sure you don’t run out before you reorder. We heard from a lot of people who needed to get to the pharmacy for refills but found that they couldn’t get out of their driveways because of the snow and the driving bans. 3. Keep hallways and walkways free of clutter, extra furniture and storage. Those things can easily cause falls and accidents. If there has been a power failure, you must be able to walk safely in hallways without fear of tripping over these items. 4. Always keep on hand a good supply of hearing aid batteries. 5. Keep bottled water in the house. The rule of thumb is one gallon per person per day and you should have a minimum of three days’ supply. 6. Most heat is lost through the head so when the power goes out, put on a hat. Also wear scarves and gloves. Drink plenty of fluids and especially warm fluids if possible. Wear layers of light clothing and keep warm with blankets. Be aware of mild confusion, shivering, sluggishness, or blue color of fingers and toes; hypothermia is a serious condition. Call 911 if any of those symptoms occur. 7. In addition to a supply of canned goods, make sure you have a manual can opener. 8. Keep cash in limited amounts on hand for groceries, food deliveries and errand requests. 9. You should have a battery operated radio with an extra supply of batteries. Write down the stations where you can get up-to-date information so you’ll know what’s going on and will feel a bit less isolated. www.wnycaremanager.com back to top back to table of contents Current Issue | About Forever Young | Where to Find | Advertise | Our Advertisers | Community Calendar | Contest | Clubs | Contact Us | Archives | Home |
