BRUNSWICK

Mid-coast Mainers are used to plunging temperatures this time of year, but colder weather can still threaten one’s physical and mental health.

The winter can be especially tough on senior citizens, said People Plus Executive Director Stacy Frizzle.

Certain medications will change body temperature and make seniors more sensitive to the cold. Cold weather can also be a misery to those coping with arthritis.

People Plus recommends dressing in lots of thin layers, staying hydrated with beverages such as warm, caffeine-free tea, and avoiding alcohol.

People Plus also recommends keeping a survival kit in the car and in the home with a heavy blanket, boots, gloves, hat, trail mix and flashlight with extra batteries. Keep a flashlight next to your bed at all times.

Maine Emergency Management Agency also encourages checking in with elderly and disabled relatives, neighbors and friends. MEMA recommends that the elderly and very young minimize outside activities and limit the time your pet spends outdoors.

Frizzle suggests keeping showers and baths short and at a lower temperature so as not to raise your body temperature too much, and then feel chilled later. Use a moisturizer to lock in moisture and warmth.

She also recommends wearing a hat indoors, even to bed.

“Beware of ice, slipping and falling,” said Frizzle. “That’s very bad for seniors.”

Frizzle said she recommends walking with knees bent across ice to prevent falls.

“Colder, darker months are a time when seniors feel that the world has closed down even more around them,” Frizzle said. “Try to reach out to others in your community. Visit with a neighbor, volunteer, join a program at the library or community center. … There are lots of programs for free at People Plus to keep people warm and engaged.”

Get up when the sun is up and go to bed early to take advantage of the warmest hours of the day. Sunshine boosts endorphins, said Frizzle, and helps stave off depression.

“Get moving inside your home. Stretch. Being homebound doesn’t mean you can’t be moving,” Frizzle said.

Frizzle is also encouraging older adults to join the Good Morning Program, managed locally by People Plus and Brunswick police in Brunswick, Harpswell and Freeport. Participants phone a voice messaging service every day from when they wake up until 9:30 a.m. to say they’re OK.

A People Plus volunteer will call participants who haven’t checked in, and police will follow up with participants who can’t be reached.

It’s a free program that’s also helpful for those recently released from a hospital or rehabilitation center. About 25 people have already signed up for the program, Frizzle said, and People Plus is looking to double that number this winter.

For more information, call the Brunswick police at 725- 6621, ext. 4310.

jswinconeck@timesrecord.com