quality of life for seniors

Consistently wearing the right shoes, preparing for power outages and stocking up on prescription medication are a few ways seniors can stay safe this winter.

OMAHA, Neb. — Right at Home, a leading in-home care brand with more than 500 locations and over 20,000 clients, has compiled the top 10 tips for seniors to stay safe this winter, when impending snowstorms, freezing rain and sleet prove hazardous for seniors.

“Winter may be a time for holiday celebrations with loved ones, but the season also brings about a great deal of dangerous conditions, which is why seniors need to be careful to prevent falls and other injuries,” said Right at Home CEO and President Brian Petranick. “Even just a little bit of ice on the sidewalk, for example, can cause the most cautious senior to fall. Fortunately, there are several proactive ways seniors and their loved ones can ensure their safety both inside and outside the home.”

Here are Right at Home’s top 10 winter safety tips:

Watch Your Step
Look where you’re going when walking. Assume that all wet and dark areas on pavements are slippery and icy. Ice can be hidden underneath a layer of light snow. Test potentially slick areas by tapping your foot on them first. If you must walk up or down a hill, consider walking along its grassy edge for better traction, and always look for something to grab onto in case you start to lose your balance. Adding salt, sand or cat litter to driveways and sidewalks can provide a layer of slip-free protection.

Choose Your Shoes Wisely
Most winter boots do not keep people upright in slippery conditions. Wear high-traction shoes and boots when venturing outdoors on walks or errands. Shoes and boots with good traction and non-skid soles can mitigate your fall risk, as can walking only on cleared pathways.

Learn to Walk Safely
Instead of walking your usual way, walk like a penguin. Take short, flat-footed baby steps, pointing your feet out slightly while spreading your body weight as evenly as possible over the entire surface of your feet. Walking sideways also helps increase your base of support and balance. In both instances, make sure your knees are slightly bent when walking.

Pro tip: Keeping your hands in your pant or coat pocket for warmth while walking decreases the ability to maintain balance. Make sure you wear gloves and keep both arms by your sides when walking. If you slip, this allows you to quickly extend your arms outward and regain balance. This also helps cushion the impact of falling and decreases the risk of a hip fracture if a fall does occur. If you must carry something in your hands when outdoors, try to keep it light. Better yet, wear a backpack.

Dress for Warmth
Cold temperatures can lead to frostbite and hypothermia, a condition in which body temperature dips too low. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, older adults with inadequate food, clothing or heating are among the most common victims of hypothermia. Make sure to dress in layers and do not let indoor temperatures go too low. If you need to step outside, wear warm socks and a warm hat, a heavy coat, gloves, and a scarf. In very cold temperatures, cover all exposed skin. Use a scarf to cover your mouth and protect your lungs.

Prepare for Power Outages
In many parts of the country, winter storms can knock out power lines from time to time. To stay warm during an outage, consider having a backup generator to allow access to a heat source. Also, keep plenty of blankets and sleeping bags so you can bundle up. Stockpile water and nonperishable food so you’ll have supplies available in case of an extended outage. You can fill your bathtub with water to flush toilets and for general cleaning.

Check on Your Prescription Medication
If you’re taking any prescription medication, make sure you have an adequate supply on hand at the first sign of extreme weather. You may have an auto-prescription enabled, but extreme weather can prevent you from picking up your medication. If you’re running low on important medications, contact your pharmacy benefits management company to see if they can expedite the shipment. You can also have your doctor call in your prescription to a local pharmacy.

Power Up for the Storm
Don’t forget about batteries! Make sure you put new batteries in flashlights, lanterns and radios. Have spare batteries available, too. Don’t forget to charge your phones and computers, including auxiliary power sources.

Create an Emergency Contact Plan
Have a plan in place to reach family members and friends if you lose phone and/or internet service. Keep important phone numbers written down in case you can’t access them on your cellphone or computer. Consider staying with a family member or neighbor if an incoming storm is expected to be severe.

Prevent Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Using a fireplace, gas heater or gas lanterns can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning. Ensure your safety by checking the batteries in your carbon monoxide detector and buy an updated detector if necessary.

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help
The most important tip to keep in mind during the colder months is to ask for help. If you need to clear your property of snow and ice, do not hesitate to ask a family member or neighbor or to hire a professional. Arrange rides to the grocery store and doctor appointments. Many communities have shuttle services specifically for seniors. Don’t be afraid to reach out for help!

Right at Home Leads Nation for Most Winning Listings

OMAHA, Neb. — Caring.com, a trusted resource for families to find in-home care for their senior loved ones, released its annual “Caring Stars of 2020” list, a reliable industry source of information that showcases the best senior care around the country every year. The list is based on consumer ratings and reviews and features the top in-home care agencies in the United States.

Caring.com is also highlighting those organizations that made the “Caring Super Stars of 2020” list. These are businesses that received the Caring Stars award in 2020 and two additional years since 2017.

Right at Home, one of the nation’s leading providers of home care for seniors and adults with disabilities, is thrilled to announce that of the 466 in-home care agencies that received the Caring Stars of 2020 award, 170 of them are Right at Home agencies. Also, 139 in-home care agencies received the Caring Super Stars of 2020 award, and of those, 62 are Right at Home agencies, more than any other company. This makes Right at Home No. 1 in the nation for the second consecutive year.

“Right at Home caregivers deliver our mission of improving the lives of those we serve to thousands of clients across the United States and beyond every day,” said Right at Home President and CEO Brian Petranick. “To be honored as the nation’s top-rated in-home care agencies for the second consecutive year proves our dedication to providing the best quality and personalized care that’s possible.”

In-home care agencies that made the 2020 Caring Stars list had to meet exceptional criteria. They must have had 10 or more consumer reviews on their Caring.com listing by the qualification deadline of Oct. 15, 2019, and must have had an overall average rating of 4.5 stars or higher on a scale of 1 to 5. Old reviews were not allowed to be part of the qualifying criteria. The in-home care agencies had to have three or more reviews on their Caring.com listing dated between Oct. 15, 2018, and Oct. 15, 2019. At least one of those reviews needed to have a five-star rating, and at least one of those reviews had to have been posted in 2019.

Significantly, in order to qualify, brands also had to respond to all negative reviews on their listing. Negative reviews counted as those that only had one or two stars.

“Congratulations to these in-home care agencies for earning such high praise from their clients and clients’ family members,” said Jim Rosenthal, Caring.com CEO. “Achieving the Caring Stars award or Caring Super Stars award is a distinction worthy of significant celebration and promotion — as it speaks volumes about the difference these home care agencies are making in serving older adults. We applaud their accomplishment!”

The remarkable impact Right at Home makes is provided through its proprietary care delivery system, called RightCare. RightCare is “the Right People doing the Right Things the Right Way for the Right Reason.” Right at Home is committed to providing an individualized RightCare experience for every client to improve their quality of life, and accolades like these give credence to the exceptional work Right at Home franchisees and their staffs and caregivers are doing every day to serve the needs of seniors and adults with disabilities.

To learn more about the Caring Stars program and view the complete list of winners, please visit: https://www.caring.com/caringstars2020-in-home-care.

ABOUT CARING.COM:
With three million unique visitors to its website monthly, Caring.com is a leading senior care resource for family caregivers seeking information and support as they care for aging parents, spouses, and other loved ones. Headquartered in San Mateo, CA, Caring.com provides helpful caregiving content, online support groups, and a comprehensive Senior Care Directory for the United States, with more than 150,000 consumer ratings and reviews and a toll-free senior living referral line at (800) 325-8591. Connect with Caring.com on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and/or YouTube.