00:00 The message that we want to get across to families at this time of year is that their
00:06 older loved ones worrying about their older loved ones, they are not alone in doing so.
00:11 I think it can feel like quite an isolating frame of mind for relatives as well, but there
00:18 are many other people out there who are going through exactly the same thought processes
00:24 as yourself at the moment.
00:26 Winter can be a challenging time, especially for the elderly. According to Age UK, 52%
00:32 of older people, that's 8.5 million citizens, were concerned or very concerned about winter.
00:38 Older people are more susceptible to the severe impacts of common respiratory diseases and
00:43 loss of muscle mass and other age-related physical changes mean they're less able to
00:47 regulate temperature. In recent years, the issues have been exacerbated by the cost of
00:52 living crisis. Many retirees on fixed incomes simply can't afford to heat their homes as
00:57 necessary due to skyrocketing household bills.
01:00 What we tend to see at this time of year is that we have a huge increase in the number
01:05 of enquiries that we get around help and support that people might need. I think what tends
01:11 to happen is families spend maybe a prolonged period of time with their loved ones over
01:16 Christmas and they really begin to start to notice things that they maybe aren't seeing
01:22 during shorter times visiting throughout the year.
01:27 And it's not just physical health that can take a knock during this time of the year.
01:31 It can be harder to sustain social connections, increasing the likelihood and severity of
01:35 loneliness and isolation too.
01:38 They find that the days are shorter, it's darker, it's a lot colder. There may be concerns
01:44 around mobility. Are they warm enough? Are they eating well enough? Have they kept up
01:52 with all their vaccines and stuff like that? Can they get out? Can our older loved ones
01:57 get out to do their shopping as they would throughout the rest of the year? Have they
02:01 got enough food in? So there's lots of concerns, lots of stresses for not only the older relative,
02:09 but also for the families and the impact on the families at this time of year.
02:14 So what can we do to help ease the problem?
02:16 Charity Greensleeves Care has launched their new Warmth of Care campaign to help spread
02:21 awareness of winter vulnerability in the elderly and help families decide which course of action
02:25 is best.
02:26 If you haven't seen someone for a while, whether that is a family member or a neighbour, an
02:32 older neighbour, just checking. Have you seen lights going on in the home? Have you seen
02:39 their meal piling up? Have there been pottons left on the doorstep? And just knocking on
02:43 the door. Our older loved ones are worried about the cost of heating their homes at the
02:48 moment, shopping, you know, just getting the milk in so that they can have a warm cup of
02:54 tea or coffee, making sure that they are having maybe a warm drink or at least one warm meal
02:59 a day because it really does help with their physical health.
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