Every Edmonton winter has at least one stretch where it is dangerously cold to be outside for more than a few minutes, the roads are bad, and cars do not start. Care cannot simply stop for a week, so we plan for it in September.
The written plan
Every client has a cold-snap plan in their file. It says, visit by visit, what happens when the temperature drops below the threshold:
- Which visits must happen regardless, usually medication, personal care and meals for anyone who cannot manage them alone.
- Which visits become a phone check, with a call at the scheduled time and a follow-up if there is no answer.
- Who the backup caregiver is if the primary one cannot get there.
Before it hits
Caregivers check the thermostat, the furnace filter and that there is enough food for three days. If your parent’s house has a history of frozen pipes we note where the shut-off is.
What you should know
You get a message at the start of a cold snap telling you which visits are going ahead. If we cannot reach your parent on a phone-check day, we go, or we ask you to, and we do not wait until the next scheduled visit.
