Right at Home Newsletter — Employee Corner, Keeping Seniors Safe From Cold

Here is your Weekly Update from Right at Home of Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati

Introducing Sarah Brewer!

Sarah Brewer is ecstatic about joining the Right at Home team as a Clinical Liaison. Since receiving her Bachelor's Degree in Social Work from Slippery Rock University, Sarah has been a Director of Social Services in a Skilled Nursing Home environment for over 17 years – most recently working for the Hillandale Communities for over 6 years. Her Clinical Liaison role will be her first foray into Business Development and Marketing. With her experience and passion, Sarah is no stranger to home care, having made life more fulfilling by connecting the elderly and disabled to resources to improve their quality of life.

On the personal front, Sarah has two amazing daughters and lives in Fairfield Township. In her spare time, she loves working out, spending time with family, and watching football. Sarah says that she is happy to root for the Bengals except when they are playing her hometown team the Pittsburgh Steelers!

Sarah can be reached at 513-321-4444 or [email protected].

Warming Up to Winter

Keeping Seniors Safe from the Cold

Because skin and blood vessels change with age, older adults face dangers of hypothermia — even indoors. Here are tips for caregivers to help elders stay warm this winter:

• Keep the home properly heated at a temperature of 68 F to 70 F.
• Winterize windows and doors with weather stripping and caulk.
• Dress the senior in warm layers that can be removed if he or she gets too hot.
• Make sure the senior wears a hat, scarf and gloves when going outside.
• Have the senior change out of damp or wet clothes right away.
• Help the senior practice sound nutrition to fuel the body’s heat and energy sources.
• Encourage the senior to avoid alcohol consumption, which can trigger heat loss.
• Learn the temperature-lowering effect of specific medications and over-the-counter drugs.
• Devise an evacuation plan in case of a power outage or the furnace/heat source breaks down.

 

For information about cold weather safety for older adults, contact Eldercare Locator at 800-677-1116 (toll-free) or https://eldercare.acl.gov, or the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging at 202-872-0888, [email protected] or www.n4a.org.