Advice for vulnerable people

• Keep warm, eat well and avoid unnecessary travel. Eat regular hot meals and drink plenty of fluids, this will keep you warm and will give you energy to keep active.
• Ensure you have sufficient supplies of food and of any prescription medicine you may need.
• Keep active indoors.
• Have sufficient fuel supplies to maintain adequate heating in your home.
• Ask your relatives and neighbours for help if you need it. Save their phone numbers.

• Limit walking outside during the cold weather.
• In icy weather, wear well-fitted shoes with non-slip soles if you have to go out.
• Consider wearing a personal alarm so that family or neighbours are alerted if you fall.
• If you have a fall, even a minor one, make sure you contact your doctor for a check-up.

• Leave a low energy light on at night time, preferably one with a high light output.
• Use a non-slip shower or bath mat.
• Make sure wires or cords from lamps, telephones etc. do not trail where you walk.
• Arrange furniture so that you can easily move around all your rooms.
• Remove rugs or use non-slip tape or backing so rugs will not slip.
• Consider installing hand rails on both sides of the stairs.

Ask people who have colds or flu to stay away until they are feeling better. You can avoid spreading the flu germs by coughing and sneezing into a tissue, binning the tissue immediately and washing your hands with soap and water afterwards. Alcohol based hand gels are also effective. If you don’t have a tissue you can cough or sneeze into the inside of your elbow.