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KEEP WARM




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For help and advice:

This week the Department of Health has launched its third annual flu vaccination campaign. It is important to have a flu vaccination each year, especially if you are aged 65 or over. Contact your GP surgery for more information (GP surgeries in Hammersmith).


Keep Warm Keep Well
Winter Guide 2002/03


For practical help on staying warm and keeping healthy:
Freephone 0800 085 7000
Textphone 0800 085 7857
(special Department of Health winter warmth advice line)

A free winter guide offering practical help and advice is also available on Freephone 0800 085 7000

Free and independent advice can be obtained from the Energy Efficiency Advice Centre:
Freephone 0800 512 012.

Call the Warm Front Scheme (WFS) helpline for information on grants that may be available to help improve the energy efficiency of your home: Freephone 0800 952 0600.

If you will be 60 or over, you could be eligible for a Winter Fuel Payment of up to £200 from the Government: Winter Fuel Payments 2002 		 
Old people urged to keep warm and well

More people get ill in winter, and the number of deaths rises. There is a direct link between cold weather and a higher death rate, especially amongst older people and others in at-risk groups.

About half of all extra deaths in winter are due to coronary heart disease or stroke. About a quarter are due to respiratory disease. A drop in body temperature contributes to these deaths. Blood thickens in cold conditions and makes circulation more difficult; and persistent exposure to cold reduces resistance to chest infection. Where there is bronchitis, asthma, emphysema, a previous stroke or other chronic heart and lung disorder already present, the risks are greater. This applies also with diabetes and other diseases affecting major organs.

There is also the increased risk of injury from falls. Icy and wet surfaces are one hazard, but if your body is cold your muscles react more slowly which will make you more likely to fall.


Top tips:

Food is fuel - make sure you have nutritious, high carbohydrate and warming food in your cupboard.

Wear layers - several thick layers of clothing will keep you warmer than one;

Get moving - moving about warms the body - keep active;

Stay warm at night - the night is the most dangerous time as the temperature drops - use a thick duvet, blankets and hot water bottle;

Insulate - seal all gaps around windows and get draft excluders;

Keep your heating constant - set your thermostat at 21C and keep your radiator clear of obstruction so heat circulates.

From October to March, Hammersmith & Fulham Council is running alongside the national Keep Warm Keep Well campaign - a partnership between the Department of Health, Help The Aged, Age Concern England, National Energy Action, and the Women's Royal Voluntary Service. It is also backed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and the Department for Work and Pensions.

The Department of Health website