Don't underestimate the cold

Greater Manchester GP Dr Helen Wall shares the sad reality of many of her patients day in and day out’ as temperatures plummet and how choosing between heating or eating’ can have ultimate consequences as deaths from cold homes have risen

THE phrase 'heating or eating' has been loosely bandied about since living became unaffordable for many. But as a GP, it isn't just a loose rhyming phrase to me.

It is the sad reality of many of my patients day in and day out. This has become just one of the frustrations in my time as a healthcare professional: how can we keep people well, let alone make them well, if they can't stay even lukewarm in their own home?

While many of us aren't conditioned to enjoy the cold on a prolonged basis, very few people I meet appreciate the risks of poorly heated homes to the elderly and clinically vulnerable. A quick straw poll of clinical risks to those who are cold for long periods usually returns the top answer of hypothermia.

That's often followed by the suggestion that this only really happens if you're living outside. Hypothermia can and does occur in people's homes, especially in those with medical conditions like lung and heart disease and the elderly. And hypothermia is not the only risk of living in the cold.