B.C. seniors’ advocate warns of risks to older people during extreme winter weather

With snow, freezing rain, and frigid temperatures in the forecast, B.C.’s seniors’ advocate is reminding people to check in on their vulnerable loved ones.

Isobel Mackenzie says the risks posed to seniors by extreme cold and snow are very different than those posed by extreme heat. While seniors became sick and died in their homes during the summer’s heatdome, the danger that comes with cold is outside.

“In the heatwave, actually, we wanted people to go out. We wanted them to leave their overheated apartments and go to cooling centres. In the cold snap, we want people to stay inside where it’s warm. We don’t want them to go outside for two reasons. It’s cold and it’s slippery,” she says.

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Checking in with loved ones or neighbours to make sure they have food, medication and other essentials is key to helping them avoid walking on icy sidewalks, or driving on treacherous roads, according to Mackenzie.

Dr. Davidicus Wong, a family physician in Burnaby says emergency rooms typically see a spike in hip fractures and other injuries from falls during this kind of weather. But the cold itself can be a stressor for people with some pre-existing conditions.

“It’s a big stress in the body almost as much as heat so that could be harmful to people with heart conditions like arrhythmias or heart disease.”

He echoes Mackenzie’s advice to make sure seniors, particularly those who live alone, are taken care of.

“Check in with someone every single day,” he says.

“Make sure they’re stocked up, they’re winterized here, they have enough food so that if they are stuck in the home for a week they’re not going to starve, and that they have layers of clothes just to physically feel warm.”

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Mackenzie says seniors who rely on home care are particularly vulnerable, since bad weather can mean workers aren’t able to get to where they need to be.

“We do ask that everybody think about their elderly loved ones or neighbours who may normally get help and check-in and make sure that the help has arrived,” she says.

“The people who come to their home could get delayed because the cold weather has caused difficulty in transportation.”

The combination of bad weather with the Christmas season can make things worse, Mackenzie says, since it’s a time when many workers take their holidays.

Spiking COVID-19 case counts are another factor complicating things for vulnerable seniors during this cold snap.

“Right now we are seeing these explosive numbers, and every number is a person and that person who tests positive for COVID is being told to isolate for about seven days,” she says.

“So if I’m a healthcare worker, and I have COVID, I can’t go and see my clients for the next seven days. Somebody else is going to have to see them. That’s a monkey wrench that has been thrown into the mix here. That is going to make it a little bit more challenging.”

Although Mackenzie says the majority of those 65 and older have been vaccinated, the spike in cases driven by the Omicron variant means access to booster shots and testing is a concern.

“My hope is that the ability to get to the vaccination centre to get the third shot isn’t going to be upset too much by the bad weather, and also that the ability to go and be tested if necessary, isn’t going to be upset too much by the bad weather. But that’s another added layer of complexity here.”

For seniors who are particularly isolated, Mackenzie notes they can call 211 in order to be connected to services and supports that will help them get what they need to stay home and stay safe.