The HeatTrak Homeowner's Blog & Resources

Social isolation can be a major problem for seniors during the winter. With low temperatures and hazardous conditions, most elderly people stay indoors when the cold season hits. But, being alone and indoors for long periods can lead to depression, anxiety, and distress, which is why it’s important for senior caretakers to make sure social isolation doesn’t occur. 

Follow these steps and you’ll ensure a pleasant and safe winter for your loved ones.

Have you ever heard the adage, "Spend a little now to save a lot later?” Using entrance mats both inside and outside of your home is a great example of this advice in action. 

Entrance mats keep dirt, debris, and salt from getting tracked through your home. With entrance mats, your interior flooring will be protected from the fading, scratching, and wear-and-tear caused by these damaging winter elements, and you will be spending less time keeping your floors and carpets clean.  

Snow-melting mats for walkways, outdoor stairways, and entry areas have been around for years. But HeatTrak, a pioneer in the industry, has recently introduced a new product line for driveways. Read on to see how it compares with in-pavement heated driveway systems.

Every year, the advance of winter is marked not by the first snowfall, but by the first appearance of snow shovels in home improvement, hardware, and appliance stores. After all, anyone who lives in a snowy area knows you can barely get as far as your mailbox without shoveling a path first--unless, of course, you have an ingenious product in place that takes care of snow removal for you overnight...

Though it seems like a winter necessity, shoveling snow is a strenuous job that can affect your health. Bending over a shovel for long hours and lifting heavy piles of snow can significantly harm your body, especially your back. Luckily, there are some techniques you can employ to prevent these lower back shoveling injuries.

Shoveling snow from your driveway and outdoor walkways may seem like a task that requires little, if any, forethought and planning. But, a bit of preparation and a few shoveling techniques not only will help you do the job more effectively and efficiently, but will also help you protect your health. 

Below is a step-by-step guide to shoveling snow in the safest, most efficient way possible:

Every winter, thousands of seniors injure themselves while shoveling snow, with slips, falls, hypothermia, frostbite, and muscle strain the usual causes. 

Rather than risk injury, many seniors prefer to hire someone—or ask a friend or neighbor—to shovel them out.  Others avoid risk by installing a heated driveway or using snow-melting mats on outdoor surfaces.  For those of you who are healthy enough and have the inclination to shovel your own snow, it’s important to make sure that you use a proper snow shovel.  It can make the difference for a safe and efficient outcome.    

Here are some tips for choosing the best snow shovel for seniors:

With modern technologies at their disposal, more awareness of smart, healthy lifestyle practices, and a wider range of connectivity, seniors have developed into a stronger, more independent generation than history has ever seen before.

Harsh winter storms, snow and ice accumulations, black ice, shoveling and de-icing: It’s enough to make a homeowner seriously consider installing a heated driveway. The idea sounds tempting, but how much does an in-ground system actually cost?

Every year, thousands of people injure themselves while shoveling snow out of their driveways, and a large portion of those injuries are sustained on the back. The constant bending over, raising and lowering of the spine, and the effects of cold weather on your muscles all contribute to winter back injuries. Additionally, lack of proper snow shoveling technique, sudden activity after a routinely sedentary lifestyle, and use of less-than-optimal shovels all make back problems worse.