Elderly offered advice on keeping warm this winter

EXPERTS at a south Devon home care company are offering elderly and vulnerable people in the county free advice on keeping warm in the coming winter months (2019/2020).

Guardian Homecare says it is extremely important for those with reduced mobility or who are aged 65 and above to keep warm and to have a well-heated home this season.

Catherine Porter, who manages Guardian Homecare’s teams working in the Exeter area, says: “We’re offering our free advice as expert carers to ensure that Devonians keep warm this winter. For starters, the minimum a home should be heated to is 18℃ as the cold weather can really affect the elderly and leave them susceptible to serious health problems.

“We advise those that can to stay active, as it is a great way to keep warm. Simply getting up and walking around the room can help. If possible, it is best to not sit still for more than an hour at a time.

“Wearing lots of thin layers of clothes made from cotton, wool or fleecy fibres is a great way to maintain body heat.

“Eating hot meals and drinking warm drinks regularly throughout the day is essential to keep yourself warm, as food is a vital energy source.

“Keep hot water bottles and blankets around the home if you’re feeling the chill. But take care not to fill hot water bottles with boiling water.

“Our carers will be visiting our service users whatever the weather to provide the care they need and are able to make sure they are warm enough and fed and hydrated too.

“If anyone knows of an elderly person struggling to keep warm this winter, we would suggest they pop in on them regularly to ensure they have everything they need.

“Provide blankets if you can and keep track of eating and drinking habits. Anyone who feels they may need more help with caring for an elderly person should get in touch, as we provide home care services across south Devon.”

Guardian Homecare employs nearly 200 domiciliary carers in south Devon to look after its service users in their own homes and is currently searching for 100 new honest and kind-hearted individuals to help add to its teams.

Catherine says: “We provide an invaluable service to the people of south Devon and new staff are needed on a daily basis to help us continue with our work. We offer free, full training and the opportunity for career advancement, so if anyone is interested in joining our team, they should get in touch for more information.”

Guardian Homecare offers training and the opportunity for internal advancement. Anyone who joins the team can create a career path using the different qualifications they achieve.

“No experience is necessary to become a carer, as free, full training is provided. We offer new recruits a five-day training induction and a 12-week on-boarding programme working towards a care certificate. We also offer flexible working hours, both full and part-time, as well as competitive wages and generous holiday allocation.

“It is a great opportunity for people to achieve a recognised qualification and they’ll also be able to have access to exclusive discounts online and in-store from retailers including Tesco, Primark and Argos and also covers holidays and electrical goods.”

New recruits are given free uniforms, access to national staff discount scheme for many major brands, as well as 28 days paid holiday, paid travel between calls and paid mileage.

For further details, please visit www.guardianhomecare.org.uk.