Bitter Cold and the Elderly

Wow, it's bitter cold here and has been for days. They're calling for more snow tonight. This will be our third snow this winter, which is quite a bit for us.

I find myself feeling sorry for the elderly because it's not only the cold, but all the ice and snow that's keeping them indoors. I can't imagine not being able to get fresh air for days. But when someone uses a walker or wheelchair, how do you take them out when there's ice and snow? Any suggestions? I'm sure some of you live where your winters are all ice and snow so what do the elderly do? Even if you keep your wlaks clean of snow and ice, many others don't.

Living in a place where it starts snowing at the end of November and doesn't stop until mid-April, I can tell you that the elderly in our neighbourhood pretty much go into hibernation all winter. No matter how hard we try to keep the walks clean, it's impossible. We grow up with it, so learn how to move around in it, even with canes, crutches and walkers. But it's not pleasant. Even going for a daily walk is a frustrating exercise, because by the time we put on enough layers to keep us warm, we can hardly move and we weigh almost double what we normally do. LOL. Once we're all layered up and warm enough, it IS nice to be outside on a sunny winter day (gotta wear sunglasses though to avoid snow blindness), but it can be really hard to get around even with the best of boots.

We have elderly folks in our neighbourhood, we just don't see them outside for most of the winter months. We often make extra portions of our meals, homemade soups, etc and send them over. And hubby goes over to visit every 2 or 3 days. But you can always tell that spring's here when everyone starts poking their heads out the door again!

Thanks for responding. I don't now how they stay in all winter. Oh please, don't let me get old. Egads.

We are finding that if we can clear the surface in front of Dad's home, we can at least take him for a ride. Just getting out of the house and viewing different scenery is helpful. Fortunately, we have gaps between storms so we can get out off and on throughout winter. However, it's snowing again as I type.

I don't know if you got the email from Chatty with the snow pictures from Quebec City? Well, that's REAL! We're not quite as bad as that, but that's really how it is there (about 3 hours away) and where a lot of my hubby's relatives live. My SIL lives in Quebec City and can't use her front door for most of the winter because the snow is too high to shovel through. Here, we get more ice and jagged icy slush, but by mid-Feb, the snowbanks can get 5 feet high. There have been years when it's been up to the roof of our garden shed and we have to dig a tunnel-path through the backyard to get the garbage out to the street. That's why we go south every winter, so we can get outside without so much hassle and having to wear triple our weight in clothing.

I took these two out of Chatty's email - this is exactly what it looks like (or will look like before winter's finished) at most of my Quebec relatives' houses.

Everytime I see pictures like these I remember WHY I left Chicago and my country home. Brrrrr!!!!

We have more snow than I care to think about or look at. It's
so cold this morning, we have to wait until noon to walk Xena.
It's been cold here for a number of days. But I grew up with
lots of snow and actually this has been a reasonably good winter
thus far. It's suppose to warm up next week; anything above 25 degrees, I think is warm. The elderly stay inside when there's
an excess of snow and cold! You don't seen 'em until spring.
I don't want to grow old, either, Dotsie!

Eagle,
Those pictures make me cringe!

I'm elderly, live in Alabama, and for the past two days, we've had low temps of 8 and 9 degrees. Do you know what that does to this area I live in and the surrounding areas? It closes them down. Period.

You better have chocolate and milk. Everything gets canceled and all agencies go on emergency shifts. Some towns have even had their area declared as in a state of emergency.

Our highs are in the low 22 but tomorrow we are suppose to see temps in the low 30s. A heat wave!

It is colder than a witch's (insert the body part of your choice) and it isn't warming up till next week some time.

I don't like it. I don't care for snow in my yard, and I'm wanting Spring to hurry up. I don't do cold.

You can have the snow, ice, and low temps. Give me and my body a sunny day and I'm good to go. I love looking at beautiful snow scenes and all that, but only pictures.

I hear you, jj. The older I get, the more I dislike snow, cold,
and winter, period. Even Florida is having a difficult time
staying warm, these days. Chats, stay in Vegas where it's warm.
Might head for Hawaii! Honolulu anybody?

I agree with J.J. competely. This has been the coldest winter in history here in the desert, some desert, feels more like the north pole. No snow in the valley but the dampness from the humidity is bone chilling. My furnace has run nonstop and my gas bill which has NEVER exceeded $36.00 is now near to $100.00 and rising... Maybe this summer I won't gripe about the heat??? Global warming my Aunt Fanny!!!

High temp in Miami today is 56 degrees. Burrrrr...
I have friends who went to The Villages in Florida this week.
What a mistake that was. If they wanted to freeze and shiver, they could've stayed here. It is just too cold these past few
days. It seems most of the country has been hit with below normal temps.