Medical provider shares expert tips for staying safe this winter

As we get into cold weather season, local emergency room workers are bracing themselves for the usual influx of winter-related injuries, and in the effort to educate the local aging population, Guthrie hosted an informational session where Dr. Jon Rittenberger, emergency department physician and chief medical officer at Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital in Sayre, PA, gave some tips for staying safe.

Rittenberger said he anticipates the usual slips and falls this winter, as well as orthopedic injuries, which can be common and can range from sprains to strains to fractures.

“Obviously we’re set up for car crashes, etc., so those are common things we will see in the emergency department, but it’s also important to note that people with chronic illnesses will oftentimes have exacerbations or a worsening of illness this time of year,” Rittenberger said, explaining that the cold can trigger reactive airway disease when someone with asthma or COPD goes into the winter weather and encounters a snap of cold air.

Holiday meals can pose a threat to those watching their diet due to health issues.

“Certainly, folks with congestive heart failure and diabetes, we are concerned that, you know, as we go out to have family dinners and go to have a little more indulgence and desserts and those sorts of things, we will commonly see those people coming in with those medical conditions worsening.”

Alcohol consumption can be a hidden risk as well.

“It’s the holiday season, so alcohol is part of that, so you may have a hot toddy or a glass of wine, and please bear in mind that it decreases your body’s ability to maintain your core temperature, so you might feel nice and warm when you go outside with less clothing on after a few beverages, but it does increase your risk of being exposed to the cold,” Rittenberger said.

“That’s a great point to bring up,” said Steve Osterhaus, Guthrie communications coordinator, who hosted the virtual press conference Dec. 19. “Alcohol provides that false sense of warmth, when in reality it’s doing the opposite to your body.”

And then there’s the snow.

“We can get some pretty impressive snowfall here,” Rittenberger said. “Folks who are still doing snow shoveling, we need to take that easy as we get older…you don’t have to remove every speck of snow from the driveway. You should try to break that into chunks, and make sure you stay hydrated.”

Deep snow can be particularly dangerous.

“If the snow is 8 inches deep, you may not want to take it all in one shovel,” Rittenberger said. “You may want to chisel away at it a few inches at time so you’re not lifting this big, heavy shovel full of snow… you may go out and say ‘I’m going to get my porch, take a little break, then do the pathway out to the mailbox.’’’

“It’s hard for people because they think, ‘I’ve been doing this for 20 years the exact same way, and it only takes me 30 minutes and then I’m done and I don’t have to worry about it again,’ but being able to back up and say, ‘I’m going to do 10 and take a break’ can help…and certainly if you’re getting chest pain or difficulty breathing, and those are symptoms that are new for you that you’re not used to experiencing with a little bit of exertion, you do need to reach out and talk to your healthcare provider about that.”

Any exercise that puts more exertion on the upper body than the lower body is going to cause more strain in general, he added. Walking, for instance, is much easier exercise for most people than shoveling. “If you were walking around, those big muscle groups in the lower body help you deal with that activity a bit better,” Rittenberger explained.

For those who need assistance with snow shoveling this year, there is a program that can help. The Tompkins County Office for the Aging maintains a listing of people who are willing to do yard work and snow shoveling for seniors on either a paid or volunteer basis. Contact their office at (607) 274-5482 for more details.

 Those who are gathering with family for the holiday should be mindful of passing around illnesses such as the common cold, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), flu and COVID-19.

“We’ll see a smattering of those, or maybe we will see more as we go along,” Rittenberger said.

Lastly, Rittenberger advised that the older population pay attention to the weather and not underestimate the danger of cold temperatures, even if they plan to be outside for just a short time.

“It’s really important for us to remember that as the weather gets cold, the wild chill is a very important factor here,” Rittenberger said. “It’s very easy for people who think they’re just going out for a minute to be exposed and potentially suffer frostnip, frostbite, or, goodness forbid, they slip and fall and can’t get back in the house.”

It would be very easy for someone to get hypothermia that way, he said.

“The core body temperature drops down, and as it drops down your ability to defend your temperature, through shivering and warming yourself back up, goes away, and then you can suffer from hypothermia,” he explained, “which can be a life threatening illness.”