Stay Safe, Warm, and Well: Essential Tips for Elderly at Home This Autumn and Winter in Yeovil
Winter safety and wellness tips for elderly at home in Yeovil.
Are you or a loved one prepared for the cold months ahead? As we enter autumn and winter, safety, comfort, and wellbeing become top priorities for older adults. For those living independently, these months can introduce unique challenges, from maintaining a warm home to managing nutrition and staying connected. At Home Instead Yeovil, we offer a wide range of services to ensure that elderly people can enjoy this season comfortably and safely in their familiar surroundings. Here’s a detailed guide with essential tips and insights from our care professionals on preparing for a safer, cosier winter.
Creating a Safe, Comfortable Environment at Home
Temperature Control and Heating Safety
Staying warm is crucial to avoid health complications, especially for older adults who may be more vulnerable to colder temperatures. Our care professionals help older adults manage their heating efficiently and safely. The Winter Fuel Payment is one helpful financial support option for older adults to ensure they have a moderate degree of heat without financial strain.
- Keep the thermostat set to a comfortable temperature – ideally around 18–21°C (64–70°F) in the main living areas. Ensuring a stable degree of heat helps reduce the risk of illnesses like colds or flu.
- Use draft stoppers for doors and windows to keep out the chill. This small step can help maintain warmth without a constant reliance on heating.
- Ensure access to warm blankets and layered clothing. Sometimes, an extra layer of warm clothes can reduce the need to keep heating on continuously, helping with energy costs.
Preventing Falls and Ensuring Mobility
Autumn and winter often bring icy or wet conditions that can increase the risk of falls, especially concerning for elderly people. At Home Instead Yeovil, we prioritise safety in every season, helping reduce fall risks inside and outside the home.
- Remove trip hazards indoors. Common items like rugs, small furniture, and extension cords should be arranged to create a clear pathway.
- Install grab bars in key areas such as bathrooms and by staircases. Our team can assist in arranging for these installations, ensuring older adults have extra care in high-risk areas.
- Encourage safe footwear. Shoes with nonslip soles are essential, both indoors and outdoors, to help older adults maintain stability.
For older adults who may need extra support moving around, Home Instead Yeovil offers mobility assistance and can tailor a specific care plan to meet their needs.
Ensuring Health and Nutrition
Good nutrition is key to maintaining energy, immune health, and overall well being. But as the weather cools, it can become more difficult for older adults to make regular trips to the shop. Our care professionals can assist with grocery shopping, meal preparation, and encouraging a healthy diet, giving family carers peace of mind.
Stocking Up on Nutritious Essentials
Having a well-stocked pantry reduces the need for frequent shopping trips, making it easier to prepare balanced, nourishing meals.
- Protein Sources
- Tinned meats like chicken, beef, or tuna provide high-quality protein that supports muscle strength.
- Fish such as salmon and sardines are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which benefit heart and brain health.
- Beans and lentils offer a plant-based protein source, perfect for warming soups and stews.
- Whole Grains and Fibre
- Oats and wholegrain cereals are excellent breakfast options that provide energy and fibre.
- Brown rice and wholegrain pasta are great as meal bases and can be combined with various vegetables.
- Crackers and crispbreads are convenient, fibre-rich snacks that pair well with cheese or nut butter.
- Fruits and Vegetables
- Frozen or tinned vegetables like peas, carrots, and spinach are nutrient-rich and easy to store for longer periods.
- Tinned fruit in juice (not syrup) offers a healthy snack or dessert option, providing vitamins without added sugar.
- Dairy and Milk Alternatives
- Long-life milk or plant-based alternatives like almond or soy milk ensure a calcium source is always available.
- Cheese and yoghurt provide calcium and protein, essential for bone health and muscle strength.
Our care professionals are dedicated to ensuring that older adults have a reliable, one-stop shop for nutrition and can monitor older adults’ food supplies and prepare nutritious meals, ensuring a balanced diet is maintained.
Managing Medications and Appointments
Winter months can complicate access to regular medical care, especially when conditions make travel challenging. Home Instead Yeovil provides medication management services to support older adults with prescription schedules and doctor’s appointments.
- Medication reminders help ensure older adults take their medications as prescribed. Our care professionals can set up a schedule, so there’s no need to worry about missing doses.
- Transportation for appointments. Our team can accompany older adults to medical appointments, providing extra support and reassurance for both older adults and their family carers.
- Health checks. Our care professionals can conduct routine health checks, keeping an eye on any signs of illness that may need medical attention.
Supporting Mental Wellbeing and Engagement
During the darker, colder months, older adults may experience feelings of loneliness or isolation. Staying mentally and emotionally engaged is crucial for wellbeing, and Home Instead Yeovil provides companionship and engagement activities to brighten each day, promoting mental wellbeing.
Ideas for Staying Connected and Engaged
- Creative activities. Arts and crafts, knitting, or painting are wonderful indoor hobbies that provide a sense of accomplishment and relaxation.
- Virtual gatherings. Our care professionals can assist older adults in using video calls to stay connected with family and friends, reducing feelings of isolation.
- Reading and puzzles. Books, crosswords, and other brain-stimulating activities keep minds active and reduce boredom.
- Music and reminiscence therapy. Listening to favourite songs or engaging in memory-sharing activities can be both enjoyable and comforting.
We can also accompany older adults to local events or arrange social outings to community centres when safe, ensuring they stay connected with the local community.
Practical Winter Preparedness Tips for older adults
- Emergency Contact Plan
- Make sure that emergency contact numbers are easily accessible and that a neighbour or family member knows to check in regularly, especially if severe weather is expected.
- Maintain a Charged Mobile Phone
- Keep a mobile phone fully charged and nearby in case of emergencies. Our care professionals can assist in setting reminders to charge it.
- Stock Essential Supplies
- Essential items like extra batteries, flashlights, and blankets should be readily available. Our team can help older adults prepare an emergency kit, just in case.
- Arrange for Home Deliveries
- Home Instead Yeovil can assist with organising grocery deliveries, reducing the need for trips out during icy conditions.
- Regular Wellbeing Checks
- Scheduled visits from care professionals provide reassurance, regular wellness checks, and companionship, which can be a comfort to both older adults and their families.
Local Support and Community Involvement in Yeovil
Home Instead Yeovil is proud to be part of a caring local community. Our care professionals are familiar with local services and support systems available for older adults, and we actively help clients access these resources.
- Local community centres and groups often host social gatherings and provide warm spaces during colder months. For example, The Age Uk Somerset offers senior activities that are ideal for those looking to stay connected.
- Collaboration with charities and local organisations. We work with local groups to provide extra support to older adults, including dementia-friendly activities and events.
- Our Wow Guide: Our guide to activities and clubs for ageing adults in Yeovil, Sherborne, Bridport and surrounding areas.
These community connections enrich our range of services, making sure older adults feel part of a supportive network beyond their home.
Compassionate, Professional Support When You Need It
At Home Instead Yeovil, our care professionals are highly trained and understand the specific needs of older adults in our community. We provide personalised care plans that adapt to each individual’s needs, ensuring that they are safe, healthy, and happy in their own homes. With our local knowledge and commitment to quality care, we are ready to support older adults in Yeovil this winter, offering everything from companionship to full-time care.
Client Testimonials
Our clients often tell us how our support has positively impacted their lives and given their families peace of mind.”
| ” Home Instead has been providing daily care for my Uncle for 3 years. The service is excellent, it has enabled my uncle to stay in his home rather than go into care which is as he wants. He has a lovely relationship with the carers who go above and beyond what is expected. I am kept informed, any issues and niggles are quickly and satisfactorily sorted, and they go the extra mile in working with me to sort out any problems. Have no hesitation in recommending the service. I live a long way from my Uncle, and there are no other relatives so trusting Home Instead has been so vital in enabling him to live as he wishes and to give me peace of mind. “ Tony , Power of Attorney of a client |
Get in Touch with Home Instead Yeovil
Are you ready to ensure your loved one stays safe, warm, and engaged this winter? Home Instead Yeovil is here to help with a wide range of personalised home care services, companionship, and professional support tailored to individual needs. Contact us at 01935 577030 or visitHome Instead Yeovil to discuss how we can support you and your family this season.
With the right support, winter can be a season of comfort and connection. Home Instead Yeovil is dedicated to providing exceptional care that brings peace of mind to families and keeps older adults safe and content in the homes they love.
