PEOPLE living in Wales are being asked by a leading home care agency to ensure their elderly relatives and loved-one’s homes are well prepared for winter.
ISS Healthcare says its important that people’s homes are properly prepared and now is the time to make any small changes, especially in the wake of more potential lockdowns through the winter months.
Neil Griffiths, Regional Manager at ISS Healthcare, which provides care across Cardiff and the surrounding areas said: “When temperatures drop below eight degrees, people over the age of 65 or those with long-term health conditions are at an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, flu, pneumonia, trips and falls and hypothermia.
“It’s important to ensure their houses are properly prepared in advance. Now is the time to test boilers and make any small changes around the home that could help.
“We don’t know what the future holds and we could potentially face more lockdowns throughout the winter months, which will be extremely difficult for the elderly and vulnerable, especially if any problems occur in the house during this time.
“If your elderly relative or loved-one is in your support bubble, here are several things you can do in their home to ensure they’re well prepared:
- Bleed the radiators – this will ensure they are ready and working well for winter
- Stock up on draught excluders to block out any cold coming in under doors
- Seal joints around doors and windows that could let in any cold
- Wrap pipes with insulation to stop water turning to ice and potentially breaking the pipes
- Run the central heating for at least an hour a day
- See if you or your elderly relative is eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment or Cold Weather Payment.
“For many older people, like our service users, they will have spent a great deal of time this year at home already due to COVID-19 and the associated restrictions. Some will be feeling very worried about the winter months ahead, the threat of the pandemic and having prolonged periods on their own facing loneliness, which can shorten life expectancy too.
“We’re encouraging the kindhearted and caring people of Wales to keep their elderly relatives, friends and neighbours in mind and to make sure they’re comfortable and warm, while abiding by any relevant and current social distancing rules that are now applicable due to COVID-19.
“It’s important to make sure they have blankets within easy reach of beds and chairs and that they have plenty of jumpers/cardigans in their wardrobe to wrap up in.”
ISS Healthcare provides care support to thousands of people, with services commissioned through authorities in the area or purchased privately by individual service users or their families.
Neil continued: “Being a carer is a highly skilled, professional vocational occupation that is essential to the fabric of our society and the beauty of a job for life means people can start at the very bottom and work their way up with training and qualifications.
“We’re looking for kind and caring individuals to join our team. We can offer people who work in rural areas the opportunity to become a carer in their community. We have found that there are often people living in the same small community as someone who needs care and support and who would be pleased to work for us, if only with one or two people.
“Anyone looking for work can register with us and we can let them know when work becomes available in their area. Working in a close-knit community enables a richer relationship between the carer and the person supported, as they can have more in common and can also pop in more easily.
“Where this kind of match between the person needing support and the carer can be made it also helps enormously with safety during the winter months, as locally based carers can almost always reach someone even in heavy rain or snow.”
To enquire about a position, people can call ISS Healthcare on 02920 779443 or leave a message on its Facebook page at https://bit.ly/2X4FvaH. Alternatively, people can apply for positions via Indeed at https://indeedhi.re/2JBKAiU.
“Thanks to modern technology we are able to conduct interviews via FaceTime and Skype for speed and to ensure people don’t leave their homes unnecessarily. We could receive a person’s application and have them on a FaceTime call the same day. The Government has also taken steps to ensure a quicker turnaround on DBS checks, so we can get people into work even quicker.”
For more information about ISS Healthcare, please call 02920 779443 or visit www.isshealthcare.co.uk.
