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Helping both young and old - Useful information from Help The Aged.

If temperatures do drop, remember to check in on friends, family and neighbours to ensure they are keeping warm.

Adrian Thomas, spokesperson for Help the Aged, says: "Thousands of older people will find these plummeting temperatures a real danger to their health. The risk of falls increases, as do instances of respiratory diseases such as bronchitis and pneumonia.

"We need to re-double our efforts to ensure houses are properly insulated and remind people to be alert to the potential life threatening dangers the cold weather poses. Many older people can't get out and about when it's icy or snows, so people with older neighbours should call in from time to time to check they are okay."

Keep moving:

• Try not to stay sitting down for long stretches. Get up and move around a bit. Any kind of activity, from walking to the shops (as long as it's not very cold) to doing the vacuuming, gets your circulation going and makes you feel warmer.
• If you have difficulty walking, moving your arms and legs and wiggling your toes and fingers will help.
• If it's very cold outside or icy underfoot, try to keep active indoors rather than venturing outside.

Eat for Warmth:

• During cold weather, regular hot meals and hot drinks will provide warmth and energy.
• Even if you don't feel like cooking, try to have at least one proper meal a day. Certain foods, such as potatoes, beans, bread, milk, eggs, meat and fish, are all good sources of protein, energy and vitamins which will help keep you healthy.
• Eating plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables will also help. Contact the local council for details of the Meals on Wheels service in your area, which can provide hot meals.
• It's also a good idea to keep stocked up on some basic foods so you don't need to go out to the shops on very cold days.

Dress for warmth:

• Wrapping up warmly, both indoors and out, is very important. Several layers of thin clothing, for example, a shirt or blouse, thin jersey and cardigan, will keep you warm by trapping air between them. Clothes made from wool, polyester or fleecy synthetic fibres are usually warmer. Thermal underwear can help beat the chill.
• Warm, thick tights or long socks are a must, as well as a warm pair of slippers.
• When sitting down, a shawl around the shoulders or a blanket over the knees will provide a lot of warmth.
• When you go out, be sure that you are dressed for the weather; it is very easy to just throw your coat on when you go to the shops, only to realise on the way that it's colder than you thought. During the winter, make sure you wear warm layers under your coat, and wear gloves and a hat or headscarf; this is very important as a lot of your body heat is lost through your head. Warm shoes or boots with good grips are also important.
• If you get wet, change into dry new clothing as soon as you get indoors.

Keeping your home warm:

Whatever type of heating you may have, it is important to keep both your living room and bedroom warm enough.

One of the best ways of increasing your comfort and keeping bills down is to make your home more energy efficient. There are two sides to energy efficiency. One is to keep the heat in and draughts out by insulating and draught-proofing your home.

The other is to make good use of your heating and get full benefit from your fuel. By keeping you warmer and saving you money, energy efficiency is good news all round.

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