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Spread the Warmth

Spread the Warmth. Protect your health – keep warm in winter. Why is Age UK running the Spread the Warmth campaign?. There has been an average of 26,700 excess winters deaths in England and Wales over the last ten years;

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Spread the Warmth

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  1. Spread the Warmth Protect your health – keep warm in winter

  2. Why is Age UK running the Spread the Warmth campaign? • There has been an average of 26,700 excess winters deaths in England and Wales over the last ten years; • This is an average of just over 200 daily excess winter deaths for people aged 65 or over in the UK (over 8 per hour); • Older people who live in poorly insulated, cold homes are more likely to become seriously ill and even die during the winter • The UK’s excess winter deaths rate is much higher than in colder countries, such as Finland, Germany and Denmark; • Excess Winter Death and associated ill-health are preventable.

  3. Effects of cold weather • Cold weather causes a spike in health problems: • heart attacks; • strokes; • pneumonia; • depression; • worsening arthritis and increased accidents at home (associated with loss of strength and dexterity in the hands). Other ways an older person’s health is affected are: • narrowing airways, making it harder to breathe; • increasing the risk of respiratory infection; • increasing blood pressure, an effect which can last for many hours; • increasing the risk of blood clotting, which along with raised blood pressure increases the risk of heart attack or stroke.

  4. What are the stats in our area? • Add local statistics from ‘spread sheet of localised statistics’. Download from www.ageuk.org.uk/costofcold. . • There is an average of [insert statistics] excess winter deaths in [insert name] • The number of households in fuel poverty is [insert statistics] • [insert statistics] of people over the age of 65 with cardiovascular disease, and [insert statistics] of people over the age of 65 with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease – these are ‘at risk groups’.

  5. Key Messages: Protect your health – Keep warm in winter • The longer an older person is exposed to the cold, the more at risk they are. This is why Age UK is highlighting the below key messages to encourage older people to protect their health: • Keep living room temperature at 70⁰F (21⁰C) • Keep bedroom at 65⁰F (18⁰C) • Keep your bedroom window closed at night when the weather is cold • Make sure you wrap up well when going out in the cold. • We have developed materials, which include these messages, to help older people protect their health this winter: • Four posters; • A recipe booklet, full of winter warmer recipes and tips on how to keep warm.

  6. Key Campaign Materials: Posters

  7. Key Campaign Materials: Recipe booklet

  8. What is Age UK doing? • Local Age UK’s are getting involved in the Spread the Warmth campaign in the following ways:   • Local authorities: Local Age UKs are meeting with and talking to their councils about what they could do - we want councils to take action to address excess winter deaths • Older people: Local Age UK’s are distributing our free posters and recipe booklets to help older people understand why we are at risk as we get older. • MPs and national government: Local Age UK’s are writing to their MP(s) to ask for their support in the campaign and sign an Early Day Motion • Nationally, Age UK is and its national partners Age Cymru, Age NI and Age Scotland are the latest charities to join the Energy Bill Revolution – a coalition of more than 100 businesses and charities calling on the Government to use the money it gets from carbon taxes to make our homes super-energy efficient.

  9. Age UK’s calls to national and local government • Excess winter deaths must be a health priority in England • Funding services and other interventions which enable older people to keep warm during the winter months will protect their health and save costs in both the NHS and adult social care. • The energy efficiency of older people’s homes must be improved • Warm, well-insulated homes would enable older people to stay healthier during the winter. To have an impact on excess winter death rates the government needs to provide substantial new investment in home energy efficiency, possibly funded from carbon revenues coming on stream next year.

  10. What can you do? • Support your local Age UK by encouraging your local authority to take action; • Encourage your members to order the recipe booklet and Winter Wrapped Up guide. Ask them to pass these materials to older people they may know; • Send a letter to editors of local publications to encourage support for the campaign.

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