Winter Season Safety Suggestions

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Winter Season Safety Suggestions

• At-risk Citizens Guide for Basic Safety and Health

HELPU Fire and Life Safety
2004
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Cold Weather Winter Season

• Cold weather, winds, bitter rains, and heavy
  snows cause many concerns for all citizens BUT
  for people with special needs, i.e. people with
  paralysis, diabetic conditions, and neuropathy,
  concerns can be magnified.
• Following are suggestions for numerous conditions
  that an At-risk citizen may encounter.

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Cold Weather Winter Season

• Some definitions are first needed to explain the
  issues and the weather concerns
• Neuropathy a condition that limits or
  diminishes the ability to feel sensations, i.e.
  heat, cold, pain, damage, or injury.

• Diabetic a condition that can follow along the
  lines of neuropathy also low sugar conditions can
  cause light-headedness leading to misjudgment or
  impaired abilities.

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Cold Weather Winter Season

• Hypothermia a condition in which the persons
  body temperature lowers to a dangerous level that
  can lead to unconsciousness and eventual death
• Frostbite a very severe condition in which the
  persons body temperature has significantly
  lowered and the person loses

• all sensation to the extremity that has become
  frostbitten. Many times loss of the extremity
  occurs with severe exposure and damage.
• A person with a neuropathy, diabetic condition or
  paralysis of their limbs may suffer more severe
  damage and injury.

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Cold Weather Winter Season

• As a person with (complete) paralysis I have
  taken measures to safeguard myself against
  weather conditions that may cause further damage
  to my body.
• Following will be some of the suggestions I have
  taken to protect myself from severe winter events.

Complete meaning no sensation of the
paralyzed limbs.
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Cold Weather Winter Season

• Hands for most of us the instruments we use
  most often and rely upon to do our work.

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Cold Weather Winter Season

• Many uses of our hands -

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Cold Weather Winter Season

• The palms of the hands, the fingers and the
  fingertips can all get badly damaged if not
  protected from severe winter weather.

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Cold Weather Winter Season

• One way to protect hands is by using gloves
  especially gloves that have an inner insulation
  that maintains the hands warmth. The gloves
  should also extend beyond the wrist.
• Mittens are also good for people with clawed
  hands to protect them from the winter elements.

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Cold Weather Winter Season

• Curious while driving do you use gloves?
• Some gloves are probably too bulky to safely
  maneuver a vehicles steering column but a simple
  pair of driving gloves while inside the vehicle
  can help keep the hands and fingers warm.

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Cold Weather Winter Season

• Hands lose their moisture and can dry up and
  become brittle, calloused, and cracked in winter
  weather. Try to have small bottles, (I use
  travel bottles) of a moisturizing hand cream in
  your vehicle's glove box, purse, coat pocket, or
  briefcase. Not only will it soften up your hands
  but hand creams can replenish the moisture lost
  to dry heats, bitter blowing winds, icing, and
  cold snows.

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Cold Weather Winter Season

• Feet can be sometimes overlooked, after all we do
  wear shoes, boots, sneakers, or heels. But, the
  feet can become very easily frostbitten if they
  are not warm enough, have poor circulation, or
  are otherwise compromised by injuries, age or
  size.

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Cold Weather Winter Season

• Are you diabetic, do you have neuropathy, or poor
  circulation in your legs and feet? If so, then
  please schedule a visit

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Cold Weather Winter Season

• Here is why you should visit with your doctor
  regarding your feet. Some people with diabetes,
  neuropathy, poor circulation, and others may not
  notice, feel, or sense injury or damage to their
  feet or legs.
• A doctor is trained to check for pulse, warmth,
  sensation, and use of the extremity and will be
  able to help guide you in monitoring injury to
  your feet and legs.

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Cold Weather Winter Season

• Thick heavy socks like the first graphic shown
  can help keep your feet warm and dry. Remember
  though, if they get wet, your feet are wet, cold,
  and in danger of frostbite. The second graphic
  of socks are good for sleeping, they are thinner,
  about mid-calf length and will help protect your
  feet against temperature changes.

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Cold Weather Winter Season

• Some people like to lounge around without dress
  or work shoes on their feet, thats great but how
  about keeping the feet warm and protected against
  small objects, table legs, couch or end table
  protrusions
• Slippers that entirely cover the foot from toes
  to heel help maintain warmth and give some
  protection against bumps, stubs, etc.

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Cold Weather Winter Season

• What about your head and ears? Hats are coming
  back into style! Simple hooded coats, or parkas
  can keep your head and ears warm, an ear muff, or
  even a pulled down knitted cap. Heat escapes
  through your head. If it is protected and warm,
  less heat escapes.

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Cold Weather Winter Season

• Some other suggestions that are routinely done by
  the author
• I carry a thermometer to check my body
  temperature. I have no sensation of hot or cold
  and do not wish to suffer frostbite. If my body
  temperature drops I know to get inside and warm
  myself up.
• I wear sun glasses while driving in snow, not
  while it is falling but after it has settled.
  Snow is blinding and glaring and I do not want to
  harm my vision.

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Cold Weather Winter Season

• I carry a tube of lip balm with sun screen in it
  to protect my lips from chapping, cracking and
  bleeding due to the severe colds and winds.
• My vehicle has two woolen blankets stored in it,
  one in the back seat and one in the trunk.
• I also carry extra bottles of fresh drinking
  water in the car and a thermos of hot coffee.

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Cold Weather Winter Season

• I have a service dog and he has his own thermal
  blanket in the car with him and a full body coat
  that he wears. He also has boots and two extra
  jugs of water in the car for him.
• My cell phone is the newer version, (not
  expensive at all) with GPS tracking. I have a
  car charger stored in the glove box for it also.

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Cold Weather Winter Season

• Since the heat will be on while I am driving I
  stop regularly to get fresh air breaks and to
  loosen stiffened muscles from driving.
• I carry with me a small insulated lunch bag that
  has nutritious healthy high-protein snacks to eat
  for energy and also some lightly salted snacks to
  help remind me of thirst so that my body stays
  hydrated with the fresh water.

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Cold Weather Winter Season

• We have finally come to the end of this Cold
  Weather Winter Season presentation. We hope it
  provides some useful guidance and help to you.
• For further information, please contact
• HELPU Fire and Life Safety
• http//www.helpusafety.org
• Email helpu_at_visi.net