PERS dealers tend to see an uptick in sales during the winter months not only because of falls, but also because winter poses many other potential health risks.
When it’s Cold Out
As you are creating your winter sales messaging for your customers, keep in mind that seniors are also at risk of hypothermia, which can lead to organ failure, even in their homes. Dehydration and inactivity can also play a huge roll in failing health. These risks factors are all the more reason why seniors and their caregivers should consider purchasing a PERS device.
Do you ever notice that inside grandma’s house it feels like you just opened an oven set to 400 degrees? In this case, grandma is actually being really smart about her health during the winter. On the contrary, if the house is especially chilly, that’s a bad sign. Even slightly chilly temperatures can increase their risk of hypothermia. And hypothermia leads to a whole bunch of nasty stuff like heart attacks as well as liver and kidney damage. In the unfortunate event that something like that takes place, a PERS device could potentially save their lives.
You might associate dehydration with heat, but dehydration also occurs when anyone, especially seniors, get cold as well. The human body has to work hard to maintain heat. Even when the body isn’t shivering, it is burning up a lot of fuel and water to stay warm. If seniors aren’t drinking enough water, they can quickly become dehydrated, even inside a chilly home. Dehydration can cause fatigue, confusion and dizziness, and those symptoms are the perfect combo for a fall.
Inactivity also tends to increase during the winter. Seniors stop being active because they don’t want to go outside. This can increase their risks of chronic conditions they might already be dealing with and create new health risks as well.
Fight the Power (of Winter)
We encourage you to share this information with your customers and potential customers so they recognize the increased risk winter brings along. As you’ve read above, slipping and falling isn’t the only thing that can cause an emergency for seniors.
Unfortunately, nobody we know other than Mother Nature can change the weather, and she doesn’t take requests. The best way to combat the health effects that winter brings is to promote good, healthy practices like dressing warm, drinking enough fluid, and staying active, but also having help available at all times. It’s best that seniors are prepared for the unexpected. A PERS device very well may be the thing that saves their life this winter.
Feel free to share these valuable tips and insights on assessing the health needs of our aging loved ones throughout the holiday season. Each of these articles will be made available through our website’s resource center, along with any important product updates or announcements for you through our dealer portal.
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