Seniors should ice up their cell phones.

• Position: HYPOTHERMIA

AS COLD TEMPERATURES blanket the country, a growing number of seniors could wind L up in trouble, stuck in life-threatening situations. They may slip and fall; their car might break down; or they may get lost, confused, or stranded--literally left out in the cold. Visiting Angels, Baltimore, Md., an in-home senior care agency, has recommended using ICE--a cell phone safety system to help seniors in case of emergency.

"One family told us their elderly loved one with dementia roamed five miles from home. When police tried to help they had no clue who to call. ICE contacts help responders know who to call in emergencies in this cold or at any time of year," emphasizes Larry Meigs, CEO of Visiting Angels.

Here is how to ICE seniors' cell phones: under "I" in the cell phone contact list, load the In Case of Emergency contact names, beginning with the word ICE. Make sure the emergency contacts agree to be an ICE partner. Include every phone number (home/cell/work) of the ICE partner, who should know the senior's medical conditions and doctors' names, as well as medications he or she is taking. Place an "ICE Loaded" sticker Oh seniors' cell phones, so, if someone finds a senior in trouble, he or she knows who to call in an emergency.

Along with ICE-ing seniors' cell phones, caregivers can help in other ways. "Older Americans can't feel cold weather shifts like younger people, and they may suffer from hypothermia without even knowing they are in danger," cautions Meigs. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, more than hall of all hypothermia-related deaths happen in people over age 65.

Hypothermia occurs when the body cannot produce enough energy to keep the internal body temperature warm enough, and it can be fatal. Most of these deaths are caused by heart failure...