Surviving Winter: Keeping an Older Relative Safe and Well

The short answer

Heat the rooms they use to at least 18°CA cold home raises the risk of a stroke, a heart attack or a chest infection well before anyone feels cold enough to complain about it.
Learn the early signs of hypothermia, not just the late onesCold hands, slurred speech and confusion come before someone looks obviously unwell, and catching it early is what keeps it from becoming an emergency.
The flu jab is free from 65, and worth havingA bad flu is often what tips somebody from managing on their own into needing help, and the jab is free on the NHS from 1 October.
Watch what they drink, not just what they eatOlder people feel thirsty less in the cold, so dehydration in winter is easy to miss until it causes a fall or confusion.

None of this replaces somebody seeing your relative often enough to notice a change. Where a daily visit is not possible, a companionship visit costs around £15 to £20 an hour on PrimeCarers, with our fee included.

Where to start

The five things winter adds, and where to start

None of this is exotic. Five problems get harder every winter for somebody older or less mobile, and most of them are straightforward to manage once you know to look for them.

1A cold, damp houseThe biggest risk on this list, and the easiest to put right with the heating and the right alarms.18°C in living roomsCarbon monoxide alarmDry clothing
2HypothermiaA dangerous drop in body temperature that is easy to miss until it is well under way.Cold hands, confusionCall 999Never a hot bath
3Flu and other winter illnessOrdinary winter bugs hit older people harder, and the flu jab is the best single protection.Free flu jab at 65+Regular visitsMeals ready to reheat
4DehydrationEasy to miss in the cold, because the sense of thirst fades just when the body still needs the fluid.Dark urineConfusionA drink kept in reach
5Power cuts, ice and snowLess common than the others, but each one can cut off heating, light or the ability to get outside safely.Torch and batteriesPriority Services RegisterA stocked cupboard

This guide sits inside PrimeCarers' mobility and falls care pages, alongside the wider advice on reducing the risk of a fall and on keeping the home secure. If the equipment in the house needs a wider look, from grab rails to raised toilet seats, the right equipment to aid the elderly covers that separately.

Warm and dry

Heat the home properly, and check the carbon monoxide alarm

Cold and damp do more harm over a winter than almost anything else here, and both are simple to put right once you know what to check.

Check these at the start of the season

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Heating

Living areas and the bedroom kept to at least 18°CThis is the NHS guidance for anyone aged 65 or over, or with a heart or lung condition. Below this, blood pressure rises and the risk of a stroke, a heart attack or a chest infection increases, often before anyone feels cold enough to say so.
Wet or damp clothes changed straight awayDamp against the skin draws heat away far faster than dry cold air does.
A dehumidifier in any room that is persistently dampDamp air pulls warmth from the body as well as from the walls.

Carbon monoxide

A carbon monoxide alarm in every room with a boiler, gas fire, wood burner or open fireOne alarm for the whole house is not enough if there is more than one appliance. Fit one in each room that has one, test it, and replace the battery at the start of the season.
The chimney, flue or boiler serviced within the last yearA blocked or poorly maintained flue is one of the most common causes of carbon monoxide poisoning in the home.

Allowing a house to get properly cold to save money is a false economy: the NHS's full guidance on carbon monoxide poisoning covers the symptoms to watch for, which include headaches, dizziness and tiredness that can easily be mistaken for a winter bug. If money is the reason the heating is turned down, two separate government payments can help. The Winter Fuel Payment is worth £100 to £300 a year and is paid automatically to almost everyone of state pension age, born on or before 27 June 1960 for the 2026/27 winter, with no benefit needed; only those with an income over £35,000 have it clawed back later through HMRC. The Cold Weather Payment is different: it pays £25 for each seven-day spell of freezing weather, but only to someone already getting a qualifying benefit such as Pension Credit, and it too is automatic once that benefit is in payment. If money is a wider worry than winter fuel alone, local authority funding explains how a council needs assessment works and what it can lead to.

The one to take seriously

Recognising hypothermia early, and what to do

Hypothermia is a dangerous drop in body temperature, and it can be fatal. Catching the early signs is what keeps it from becoming an emergency.

Signs to watch for

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Early signs

Cold hands and feet, or pale skinNormal body temperature is around 37°C. Hypothermia is a drop below 35°C, and it can happen indoors in a cold room, not only outside.
Slurred or slow speechEasy to mistake for tiredness at first.
Unusual tiredness, confusion or a change in moodA person with hypothermia often does not realise anything is wrong, which is why somebody else needs to notice it.

Later signs: call 999 now

Slow or jerky movements, stumbling or clumsiness
A slow heartbeat, or shallow, slow breathing
Loss of consciousness

While you wait for the ambulance

Move them somewhere warm and sheltered if you can, and remove any wet clothing. Keep them lying down rather than standing or sitting up, and if you cannot get them indoors, put something underneath them, pillows, blankets, anything to hand, to insulate them from the cold ground. Wrap them in dry blankets or coats, in layers, covering the head but leaving the face clear. If they are fully conscious and able to swallow, a warm, sweet, non-alcoholic drink helps. Stay with them, keep talking to them, and watch their breathing: hypothermia can make someone appear unconscious with no obvious pulse or breath, and if their breathing has stopped or looks dangerously shallow, the 999 call handler may talk you through starting CPR. Follow whatever else they tell you to do next. Do not put them in a hot bath, use a heating lamp, rub or massage their limbs, or give them alcohol: warming somebody too quickly can trigger a dangerous heart rhythm, which is the opposite of what you are trying to do.

Flu and other illness

The flu jab, and keeping a regular eye on them

Ordinary winter illnesses hit older people harder than they hit everyone else, and most of what helps is simple: the flu jab, and somebody checking in often enough to notice a bad day early.

The flu jab

Anyone aged 65 or over gets it free on the NHS, along with people of any age with certain long-term conditions, unpaid carers and care home residents. Book it at the GP surgery or a pharmacy offering the NHS vaccine; there is no need to wait for a letter.

Free from 1 October, aged 65+

Somebody checking in

A short visit is often what catches a chest infection or a bad fall before it becomes a hospital admission. Where a daily visit is not possible, a companionship visit a few times a week costs around £15 to £20 an hour on PrimeCarers, fee included, and an hourly visit for personal care and meals costs £18 to £25.

Daily is best in a cold snap

Food in the house, ready to reheat

If cooking from scratch has become too much, meals that only need reheating save a trip out in the cold and are easier to remind somebody about with a voice assistant.

Not just food to cook from scratch

A voice assistant such as Alexa can also give a reminder to eat, drink or take medication at the same time each day, which helps on the days a visit is not booked. Companionship care covers what a regular visit for company looks like, and hourly care covers visits built around personal care and meals. If a winter illness or a fall has already led to a hospital stay, what to arrange before they come home covers the days that matter most, and short-term night care after hospital is worth reading if the first nights home are the worry.

Dehydration

Why dehydration is easy to miss in winter

Without the sweat of a hot day to notice, it is easy to assume nobody needs to think about fluids until summer. Older people are still very much at risk in the cold, because the sense of thirst fades with age and the weather blunts it further.

What to watch for

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Worth a call to 111 if it does not settle

Feeling thirsty, or a dry mouth, lips or tongue
A headache, or feeling dizzy or light-headed
Dark yellow, strong-smelling urine, or peeing less than usual
Feeling unusually tired
Breathing quickly, or a fast heartbeat

Call 999 or go to A&E

Confusion or unusual drowsiness
Difficulty breathing, or taking lots of quick, shallow breaths
Cold, pale, grey or blotchy skin

Older adults living alone tend to eat and drink less than they realise, and diabetes, kidney disease and heart failure all raise the risk further. Even an ordinary cold makes somebody less likely to feel like drinking. The most reliable prevention is keeping a drink within reach, whatever it is, tea and squash count, and checking rather than assuming it has been drunk.

The practical extras

Power cuts, ice and snow: the practical extras

Less common than the risks above, but each of these can cut off heating, light or the ability to get outside safely, usually with little warning.

A power cut

Sign up in advance to the free Priority Services Register with the local electricity network. It means extra help and a direct line during a cut, plus advance notice of planned work. Keep a torch and spare batteries somewhere easy to find, since a phone can be low on charge exactly when it is needed most.

Call 105, free, any network

Ice and frost

A fall on ice does more damage to older, more brittle bones. Grit or salt the path to the door, choose shoes with a good grip, and go outside with them, or arrange for someone to, rather than leaving them to manage alone.

Weaker bones, higher risk

Snow

Snow is rarely forecast far ahead in the UK. A cupboard of food that does not need a shop keeps them from a walk they should not be making in the cold and the slush.

Plan to stay in, not to cope

The free Priority Services Register is run by every electricity network, and anyone elderly, disabled or reliant on power for medical equipment can join, whether that is your relative or you registering on their behalf. If a fall does happen, whether on ice or anywhere else, how to deal with a fall covers what to do next.

Questions

Questions families ask about winter safety

At least 18°C in the rooms they use most, such as the living room and the bedroom. This is the NHS guidance for anyone aged 65 or over, or with a heart or lung condition, because a colder home raises the risk of a stroke, a heart attack or a chest infection.

Yes. Anyone aged 65 or over gets the flu vaccine free on the NHS, and the current season's vaccination starts from 1 October. It is also free for younger people with certain long-term health conditions, unpaid carers and care home residents. A GP surgery or a participating pharmacy can give it, and there is no need to wait for an invitation letter.

Cold hands and feet, pale skin, slurred or slow speech, and unusual tiredness or confusion. These come before someone looks obviously unwell, which is why hypothermia is easy to miss until somebody else notices a change. If later signs appear, such as slow or jerky movements, a slow heartbeat, shallow breathing or loss of consciousness, call 999 immediately.

Look for thirst, a headache, dizziness, dark or strong-smelling urine, peeing less than usual, unusual tiredness, or breathing quickly with a fast heartbeat: these are worth a call to 111 if they do not settle. Older people feel thirst less than younger people, and the cold weather reduces it further, so dehydration can build up without anyone noticing. Confusion, unusual drowsiness, difficulty breathing or grey, blotchy skin need a 999 call or a trip to A&E, not a wait-and-see.

Yes, in two separate ways. The Winter Fuel Payment of £100 to £300 is paid automatically to almost everyone of state pension age, by age alone, with no benefit needed, though anyone with an income over £35,000 has it clawed back later through HMRC. The Cold Weather Payment of £25 for each seven-day spell of freezing weather is different: it only goes to someone already getting a qualifying benefit such as Pension Credit, and it is automatic once that benefit is in payment.

In every room that has a boiler, gas fire, wood burner or open fire, not just one for the whole house. Test it and change the battery at the start of each winter, and get the appliance or chimney serviced within the last year, since a blocked or faulty flue is one of the most common causes of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Call 105, a free number that connects to the local electricity network wherever you are in England, Scotland or Wales, to report the cut and get an estimate of when it will be fixed. Signing up to the free Priority Services Register in advance means extra help and a direct line during any future cut. Keep a torch and spare batteries to hand, since a mobile phone can run low on charge just when it is needed most.

Getting them through winter safely