Winter wellness tips and tricks Staying warm, well and safe in winter takes a bit more effort than in sunny summer months. We’ve got some tips to keep your family on track during winter’s icy grip. Family health
Vitamin C – during winter, when vegetables and fruits high in the immune-boosting vitamin are scarce, you may need to take regular vitamin C supplements to support body tissue growth, healthy blood vessels, strong bones and teeth, and to ward off winter influenza. Flu injection - if you haven’t already, consider getting flu injections for you and your family. It may even be free – enquire with your local GP. Dress warm – kids will fight it and swear they’re not cold, but make sure they’re wrapped up snug even inside the house to help prevent the onset of coughs and colds. Hand sanitiser – give the kids small bottles for school, and make sure they use it – this will help stop the spread of germs that result in winter illnesses.
Family home
Insulation: A snug, cosy and warm environment is crucial for winter wellness.
Consider insulating your home if you haven’t already. Check out EECA Energywise grants – you may be eligible for a subsidy towards insulation and an energy efficient heatpump. Open windows. It’s important to do this regularly – every day – to prevent dampness and mould that create an unhealthy environment. Draught stoppers. Invest in door sausages for internal doors, v-seal around windows and doors, and draught stops for under external doors to stop heat escaping.
Winter driving
Driver slower. Drive slower than you normal would. It only takes a split second to lose control in wet or icy conditions. Avoid quick movements. Avoid sudden braking or turning movements that could cause you to skid. Instead, accelerate slowly and brake gently. Safe distance. Drive at a safe travelling distance because it takes longer to stop on a slippery road, especially in poor weather. Double the two-second-rule. Drive to conditions. When travelling in fog, rain or snow, drive with your lights dipped for increased safety. Plan your journey. Consider if you really need to travel, especially if the weather is very poor. Always check the weather forecasts and road conditions, and think about which route to take. Choose safety over convenience.
Community minded
or trip to the movies. Winter sports. Encourage your kids to Don’t hibernate. We all have tendencies get involved in a winter sport, or even get to snuggle up in our homes in front of our involved yourself. Keeping moving in winter is televisions until spring temperatures start to kick in. But getting out and about has benefits. crucial to health. When the sun is shining, wrap up warm and Me time take the kids out for a bike ride to the park. Schedule in personal time. It can be tricky They’ll get rid of excess energy, and you’ll all to do when the kids are inside, but try to find feel better for the excursion. a quiet corner, read a book, draw a bath or Invite people over. If you really don’t have a nap. want to leave the safe haven of your snug win Start a hobby. Winter is the perfect time ter home, invite family members or friends to take up a new personal interest. What over for a potluck lunch or dinner. Company about scrapbooking, knitting/crochet or exhas a way of lifting our moods and a warm ploring some new hearty and healthy winter winter meal is always a winner. recipes? You could even take an online lan Plan activities. Make a concerted effort to guage course or explore learning about topics plan things to do outside of the house, wheththat are of interest to you. er it’s a simple Saturday morning grocery shop
Grandparents changing with the times Families today are changing, and grandparents are changing with it.
Grandparents working
n one hand, greater mobility means that families are spread across the country (and the world) and many children aren’t able to see their grandparents regularly. Life is hectic for all generations and even families who live near each other often don’t spend as much time together as in the past. On the other hand, people are having fewer children and living longer. With fewer family members in each generation, intergenerational relationships can take on added significance. The great news is that with a longer life expectancy, grandparents are likely to be around for longer to be a part of their grandchildren’s lives. But how they define the role of grandparent is changing according to Age Concern CEO Robyn Scott.
On the flipside, in previous generations, even if the grandfather worked until retirement age, the grandmother would be at home. However, Scott says that’s changing. “The concept of retirement – whatever retirement is – has definitely changed. New Zealand has a very high percentage of over 65s in the workforce, so there are a lot of grandparents working either part-time or full-time, particularly between the ages of 65 and 75. When I was a child, my grandparents were in their late 70s early 80s, and there was nobody working in that age group at that time. They were grandparenting – that’s what they did. They were at home. “The other thing that has changed is that it is more difficult to generalise on these things than 50 years ago – there is more variation on what a person later in their life is likely to be doing today.”
Grandparents as caregivers
Connecting with grandparents
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A Families’ Commission report from 2010 estimates that as many as 10,000 children in New Zealand are cared for fulltime by their grandparents. This is for a variety of reasons, such as parents being unable or unwilling to raise their children, or shared accommodation within the family. Then, according to Scott, there are a whole lot more grandparents who take on a part-time caregiver role with their grandchildren due to their parents’ work commitments. “There are lots of grandparents that are full-time or part-time caregivers to their grandchildren. The impact of that on them depends on whether that is out of necessity or choice – is it because of the need for unpaid childcare because of economic implications, or out of choice, out of love, because they want to be a full-time caregiver?”
Grandparents today are much more likely to have grandchildren living in a different city or a different country than they were 50 years ago, and that does have an impact on intergenerational relationships, Scott said. “If your grandchildren are living on the other side of the world, you can’t travel to them every weekend, so your relationship with them is going to vary from what it would be if they were living around the corner. It’s more difficult to be close. But the bonus that’s come along in the last 20-years is the value of technology. Grandparents Skype grandchildren all over the world every day of the week. “I don’t think relationships are necessarily better or worse – I just think they’re different.”
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