Winter research

Deaths in winter increase by as much as 60% mainly due to heart attack and stroke. This section features important research designed to reduce deaths, injury and illness from cold exposure and tackle the other challenges of the winter season for people with disabilities, older individuals and the public-at-large.

 

What can we do to help older people and those with injuries get around more safely in winter? Freezing temperatures, ice and snow are a fact of life in northern climates. So are the illnesses, cardiovascular distress, slips and falls they bring. But to the scientists in Toronto Rehab’s Winter Research Group, these hazards of the Canadian cold are not necessarily inevitable.

 

 

“The problems of winter are not only ice and snow, but also how our bodies react to the cold and the impact it has on people who are already at risk,” says Dr. Yue Li, leader of Toronto Rehab’s Winter Research Group.

                       

A team of researchers at Toronto Rehab has come up with an intriguing yet simple alternative to the traditional curb cut, which can clog up at the bottom of the ramp with ice, snow or slush during the winter. They are testing barrier-free pedestrian crossings that raise the road bed at an intersection to the level of the curb, making it more accessible for everyone including people using wheelchairs and walkers.

 

Winter can be difficult for seniors and people with disabilities. “For people who use wheelchairs, it’s hard to get around in winter. Walks aids don’t work well in the snow. Boots are hard for older people to get on and off. But if we find solutions to these problems, huge numbers of people will benefit,” says Dr. Geoff Fernie, Toronto Rehab’s Vice President, Research.