keeping your duct work clean

When someone gets to an advanced age and they are at the point in their life where they need to be more careful with regards to their health and things like how they are affected by the elements. If you have an elderly loved one that lives where it gets very cold in the winter, you need to watch them closely. If there is no family in the area, then they should have a home health nurse stopping by to check on them and help them regularly. Otherwise, a neighbor or a charitable organization should be helping them. Below, you can learn about some of the dangers of cold weather when it comes to extremely cold temperatures and why a properly working furnace is so important.

Trouble regulating body temperature

As a person ages and gets into those advanced stages of life, their body will naturally lose body heat at a faster rate than someone of a younger age. When people's body temperature goes much further down in temperature than the normal 98.6, there can be serious repercussions regarding their health.  

Some of the things that can be affected by low body temperature are the liver, blood pressure, and even the heart. In serious instances, hypothermia can set in and this can be fatal if not caught and treated right away and properly. A properly running furnace can prevent all these issues because it will ensure they are able to maintain a healthy body temperature, no matter how cold it happens to be outside.

Lack of energy

When the inside of the house is very cold, an elderly person may not even want to leave the warmth of their bed. In fact, if they have painful conditions, such as chronic back, hip, or knee pain, then it may be extremely painful for them to get up in a cold room.

However, lying in bed all day can be very bad for their health. They may not eat enough, and this is bad for everyone, but especially for someone with conditions like diabetes. Also, lying in bed for long periods of time can increase an elderly person's chances of ending up with pneumonia.

Bedsores can also be caused by lying in one spot for long periods of time. Bedsores are dangerous because they can get bigger and bigger. They can easily become infected and the infection can even cause sepsis which means the infection is in their blood. A properly working furnace will have the room nice and warm for them when they need to get out of bed, and this can make mornings easier and prevent them from having the described problems by getting them up and moving around.

Conclusion

Now that you have an idea of just some of the many ways a cold home can harm your elderly loved one, you will see why keeping up with furnace repair is a must.