Residents Warned of Code Blue Conditions

During its Wednesday meeting, the Delaware County Council urged residents to help the elderly and the homeless during Code Blue, or below freezing, conditions.

“There are several ways that county agencies try to help residents cope with extreme weather conditions, from sheltering the homeless to reaching out to the elderly,” County Councilman David White told those in attendance.

Some of those agencies are the Delaware County Adult Services Division, the County Office of Services for the Aging and the County Department of Intercommunity Health.

The county’s homeless shelters have reported that adults seeking shelters and services have been on the rise, White added.

The county’s senior Medical Advisor Dr. George Avetian told the council that while the elderly should watch out for frozen puddles on the sidewalk, family, friends and neighbors should make sure that the elderly have enough heat, food and their medication.

He explained that when the temperature drops, some older adults avoid going out in the cold to pick up their medication.

“We should make it through this winter pain free,” he said, if people take the precautions offered by the council.