With frigid temperatures settling over Maine this week, advocates for seniors are offering safety tips as the mercury plummets.
Temperatures this week struggled to get out of the 20s even in the middle of the day, and some locations flirted with single digits at night.
The cold, while seasonal, led to communities opening warming centers, including the Civic Center in Augusta, the South Parish Congregational Church in downtown Portland and Trinity Jubilee Center in Lewiston.
The Maine Emergency Management Center has been maintaining a list of warming centers, with locations and hours on its website. A spokesperson for the agency said anyone who can’t get online may learn more by dialing 2-1-1.
Seniors can be particularly vulnerable during the winter, according to Stacy Frizzle-Edgerton, executive director of People Plus, a Brunswick nonprofit that offers community services for seniors.
She encouraged Mainers who need them to use walkers or canes to prevent falls.
Another concern, Edgerton-Frizzle said, is hydration. Drinking water helps the body combat hypothermia, and that includes the skin.
“It’s much, much harder to stay warm with dry skin,” she said.
For those with cognitive issues such as dementia, Edgerton-Frizzle said the winter can be particularly dangerous, as some people are prone to wander.
“In the cold, it can be deadly,” she said. “They can be outside, they can be exposed, they don’t often wear the proper clothing outside.”
A national program called Project Lifesaver aims to help. Local police departments can use grant money to purchase locators built into wristbands, which departments issue for free to those who may need them.
“If someone is prone to wandering, that’s what it’s for,” said Brunswick Police Chief Scott Stewart.
If a loved one goes missing, Stewart said, police can activate and locate the wristbands. Stewart said the locators have on occasion saved lives by allowing family members to find a missing person.
“Mostly, it just puts family members at ease,” he said.
It’s also important for seniors to prepare ahead of time for navigating the cold months, according to Laure Johnson, the community services director at Lewiston’s SeniorsPlus, which has seen a 34% increase in the number of winter-related calls compared to last year.
She also advises making sure seniors have enough fuel to heat their homes and having enough fuel in generators in case of an outage.
If one must go out in the cold, Johnson advises bundling up. Being prepared in case of a vehicle breakdown is also important. This means having enough gas, as well as jumper cables and an emergency kit including a warm coat and blanket.
Matthew Jaroncyk of Spectrum News contributed to this report.