INDIANAPOLIS — When temperatures dip below freezing and wind chills drop below zero, you may need to double check on your older family members and elderly neighbors, says Battalion Chief Rita Reith with the Indianapolis Fire Department.
“Check your neighbor. Make sure they have food in their house, that they have the ability to stay warm, that their utilities are working and that they’re not going to be dependent on using things like they’re stove, oven or space heater,” says Reith, who says all eight people who died in house fires in 2018 in the Indianapolis Fire district were over the age of 55.
“Two of the easiest things you can do is make sure they have a working smoke alarm and have a safety evacuation plan,” says Reith, who suggest that you help the elderly test their alarms or help install them if they don’t already have any in place in their homes.
“We do need [the elderly] to stay warm, stay hydrated and well fed. They need to know that somebody is watching out for them,” says Reith.
CLICK HERE TO FIND MORE COLD WEATHER TIPS FOR OLDER ADULTS.
Photo: Getty Images / Valery Sharifulin
