Keeping Seniors Safe in the Cold

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Credit prakhar, Flickr Creative Commons

With the recent cold temperatures, doctors say old people can be particularly susceptible to problems.

Elderly people are more likely to break a bone when they fall. But they also suffer in other ways when it's colder.

John Fesperman is a nurse practitioner with Piedmont Health Senior Care:

"The elderly usually have a lower metabolism, so they don't generate as much heat as younger people do, and they're ability to move is usually diminished as well, so they can't generate a lot of heat with activity. So they would need layers of clothing that they can wear to stay warm..."

Fesperman also says seniors with diminished sensation in their feet might not notice that they're getting burned if their feet are too close to a space heater.