Brrrr Its cold outside Staying healthy and safe

Brrrr! It’s cold outside! Staying healthy and safe during the winter

Seasons in the United States summer spring Fall (autumn) winter Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights

Winter can be fun, but also risky to your health Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights

The most important step to staying healthy in the winter is to dress warmly! l l l ALWAYS WEAR a warm hat or scarf a warm winter coat warm mittens or gloves pants or leggings socks warm boots Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights

Wearing layers of clothes The best way to stay warm and feel comfortable is to wear layers of clothing. That way, you can take off one layer if you get too warm. Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights

Most of your body heat is lost to the cold weather through your head, so make sure you wear a hat or a headscarf. Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights

Wear mittens or gloves Fingers can actually freeze (get frostbitten) in cold winter weather, so make sure they are covered. Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights

Keep your legs and feet warm l Leggings and long underwear worn under your dress, skirt, or pants help your legs stay warm l Wear extra socks if necessary. – Some socks can be long, others short – Wool socks are the warmest l Always wear boots in the snow Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights

In your home Your apartment has a heating system. Ask your landlord how to control the heat in your apartment so that it is not too cold and not too hot. Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights

Keep your home comfortable, but not too hot Turning up the heat very high in your apartment makes the air very dry and it is not good for you. Keep the temperature at about 74° (23°C). If you are cold, put on a sweater. If you are hot, turn down the heat. Do not take off your clothes or your children’s clothes. Always wear something on your feet (sandals or socks). Buildings in Chicago are old, and sometimes there are cold drafts (bits of cold air that come in from the outside). Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights

Dry skin and mouths The heating systems in buildings often make the air very dry. The dry air makes our skin, mouths, and noses dry. Make sure to put on plenty of skin lotion (men and women) to keep your skin from getting dry and cracked. Use lip balm for your lips. (Lip balm is not lipstick. It is colorless and helps protect your lips. ) Use petroleum jelly (like Vaseline) for your feet and hands if they get very dry. Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights

Keeping the air moist in your homes Household heat often makes air dry. You can help put moisture back in the air by using a humidifier which you can buy at a drugstore. You can also put a pan of water on top of your radiator. The water in the pan will evaporate, and then you should pour more water into the pan. Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights

Cold Weather emergencies FROSTBITE Frostbite occurs when you ears, nose, fingers, or toes actually freeze. Frostbite is serious and can result in an amputation of the frozen parts of your body. Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights

Avoiding frostbite l l l Wear a hat that covers your ears Wear a scarf over your face Wear gloves under your mittens Wear two or three pairs of socks Put your hands under your arms to keep them warm Inside his jacket, the boy has his hands under his arms. Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights

Cold weather emergency Hypothermia: when one’s body temperature goes below 98. 6° F (37°C). If the body temperature gets too low, the person can freeze to death. To avoid hypothermia: Dress warm to keep your body temperature normal. Drink warm tea, soup, or other liquids. Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights

Cold weather emergency Sometimes in the winter it snows so much that the power lines fail or fall down. That means there is no electricity for lights or heat for people’s homes. This is called a cold weather emergency. Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights

Warming Centers In the event that there is a power outage and you have no heat in your home, you are encouraged to go to a “warming center” set up by city officials. Warming centers are public places like libraries or other community centers where you can stay until the power and heat is returned to your home. Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights

If you lose heat in your home during a snow emergency If there is a snow emergency and you lose heat in your home, call your landlord. If the problem is a power outage in your neighborhood, you will have to go to a warming center. Ask someone who speaks English to call 3 -1 -1 to find out where the nearest warming center is. Do not call 9 -1 -1. Tell you case manager if you need to go to a warming center. Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights

At the warming center Bring to the warming center whatever your family will need for two days, especially medicine, diapers, and things to entertain children. Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights

Any questions? Enjoy winter in Chicago, but stay warm and stay safe! Heartland Health Outreach Refugee Health Education and Promotion Winter 2007 -08 Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights