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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, January 17, 2014 | 6 Taking care of seniors in winter Snow and ice storms, and colder weather in general, bring many risks and hazards, especially for seniors. We need to keep an eye on our elderly loved ones, friends and neighbours. With that in mind, St. John Ambulance OakvilleMilton and Halton Hills offers the following tips to help ensure the safety of our seniors this winter. Much of this is common sense and the same steps and precautions everyone takes. It just may be that our older residents will need a helping hand or another set of eyes to get the job done: · Winterize their home, check heating systems and help them prepare for weather-related emergencies. Chimneys should be cleaned before use and carbon monoxide detectors in place. Burning wood, natural gas, kerosene and other fuels produces deadly carbon monoxide, a gas that you cannot see or smell. An open window, even if just a crack, when burning such fuels is a wise idea. · If seniors drive, help prepare an emergency kit, which includes a rst-aid kit for the car. · Educate yourself about the symptoms of hypothermia. Exposure to cold may result in a dangerous drop in body temperature. Older adults generally produce less body heat, which makes them especially susceptible to hypothermia, which if not detected early, can be extremely dangerous. Conditions such as a stroke, Parkinson's disease and severe arthritis, even some medications, can limit the body's response to cold, leaving the affected people even more vulnerable. · The elderly should stay indoors if the weather is particularly cold, dress warmly, in layers, and take precautions against possible frostbite when venturing out. · Older folks or frail individuals may be at an increased risk for falls, which can result in serious injury, so ensure the front walkways and sidewalks around their house are properly shovelled and de-iced. · Seniors should not shovel snow or remove ice if they have been advised not to do such activities or if such activities may be harmful to them. When it's cold, the heart works extra hard to keep you warm. Exercising by shovelling snow may put too much strain on the heart, especially if someone has heart disease. Shovelling can also be dangerous if someone has problems with balance, or `thin bones' (osteoporosis). · Seasonal depression may be a major issue for some older people since many are inactive and even isolated during colder weather. Therefore, check on them regularly, or if you live out of town, arrange for a neighbour to check in and provide a number to call in case of emergencies. It's a wise idea to watch out for our older residents at times when they may need assistance -- and, after all, it's just something we hope someone will be thoughtful enough to do for everyone who is a senior. Editorial K I N D N E S S I S "Connected to your Community" A W E S O M E 447 Speers Road, Oakville ON, L6K 3S4 General Inquiries: (905) 845-3824 Editorial Department: (905) 632-0588 Classi ed Advertising: (905) 632-4440 Circulation: 5300 Harvester Rd., Burlington (905) 631-6095 Volume 52 | Number 8 The Oakville Beaver is a division of Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Vice ­President and Group Publisher of Metroland West Regional General Manager Halton Region Editor in Chief Advertising Director NEIL OLIVER DAVID HARVEY JILL DAVIS DANIEL BAIRD Managing Editor ANGELA BLACKBURN Teacher Anna Trojanowski's Grade 3/4 class took part in a kindness workshop led by Kindness Coaches Ivy Sims (top left) and Stef Black (top right) at Holy Family Public School Tuesday. The coaches ran an activity where students chose a classmate's name from a box, wrote some kind words about them and shared it with the class. Kindness is a core value at the school and the workshop kicked off a month-long curriculum leading into the internationally-recognized Random Acts of Kindness Week, Feb. 10-16. | photo by Nikki Wesley ­ Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog or facebook.com/HaltonPhotog) RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director Business Manager Director of Production SANDY PARE MARK DILLS Thanks to the mystery salt truck driver Last Saturday (Jan. 11), the ministers and elders of Knox Presbyterian Church on Lakeshore Road were due to attend a one-day retreat at Crieff Hills, Puslinch. We had arranged for a school bus to pick us up from the Oakville Place parking lot for an 8 a.m. departure. Being the organizer of the event, I arrived rst at the bus. The parking lot was a sheet of ice and if I had my skates with me, I could have skated from my car to the bus. I was very worried about the icy conditions and how the folks due to arrive at the bus would manage walking on the ice from their vehicles. Just at that point, a man driving a truck spreading salt saw us there, one bus with the Letter to the editor MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager Director of Distribution CHARLENE HALL KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager engine running and one car. He diverted from his course and circled the bus two or three times in ever-widening circles spreading salt around. Then he drove away with a wave. By the time the other people started arriving to board the bus, the ice was much less dangerous to walk on and everyone boarded safely. I don't know who that man was who took the initiative to help out, but all of us who bene tted from his good work want to say "Thank you and God bless." Molly Fraser, Elder at Knox Church Proud Official Media Sponsor For: Canadian Circulations Audit Board Member Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association Proud Official Media Sponsor For: Time better spent than on political stunts On Tuesday of this week, the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs held public meetings at a local Holiday Inn. This was the rst time in history this committee, which I chair, has held public hearings in Oakville. The agenda was full of delegations from business, social activists, government, health services and ordinary citizens interested in giving advice to all three political parties at Queens Park on the 2014 budget. One of the top-of-mind issues expressed by many, including the Oakville Chamber of Commerce, was the need to improve our ability to move people and goods within southern Ontario. see Flynn on p.9 The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to: The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 5040 Mainway, Burlington ON, L7L 5Z1, or via e-mail to; ablackburn@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone 416-340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline.