Shoveling Snow Big Risk to the Elderly

Friday, January 28th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Many Oklahomans will probably be trying to clear some of the snow that's accumulated on our driveways and walkways over the past couple of days. Be aware that there are health risks involved.

The heat of summer isn't going to melt the snow from Dan Simpson's driveway, so he's outside, doing it himself. He's young and in good shape, so he doesn't mind the work. "Itâ€™s something to do,â€ Simpson said. â€œI'm working from home today, so this way I could at least say I did something." As traffic passed by at a normal pace, Sam Ziara had the job of shoveling the walkway at work. Ziara is many years older than Simpson, but he says he knows when its time to quit shoveling. â€I have a pretty good idea what my body's doing,â€ he said. â€œI work out a lot."

Experts say young people can handle the exertion of shoveling snow. But for the elderly, snow and ice can be deadly. â€œIt's very serious,â€ said Omni Medical Groupâ€™s Dr. Joseph Nicholson. â€œA broken hip is a very serious complication in the elderly. And shoveling snow by elderly persons is to be strictly to be avoided if at all possible."

The reason? Studies say almost one fourth of the people who suffer a broken hip die within one year of the fracture. However, that's not the only danger. "The primary concern we have is somebody that is not routinely used to doing significant amounts of exercise, the cardiovascular load for shoveling off your entire driveway is pretty huge," noted Dr. Nickleson.

Bob Kite knows what to do to avoid a heart attack or other injury. Heâ€™s a senior citizen out shoveling the snow. â€œIt's about time for me to go rest,â€ he said. â€œI've shoveled some of this off, and now I'll go rest a little bit, then come out and do some more."

Taking a break may make the shoveling last a little longer, but it's worth preserving your health. Dr. Nicholson suggested that if you see an elderly person in your neighborhood trying to shovel snow, then maybe you could lend a helping hand. You could be saving a life.