Opinion (Rogério COPETO / Official GNR): A GNR, THE COLD, THE ELDERLY AND THE HOMELESS.
GNR have an important role in preventing the consequences caused by the cold the most vulnerable as are the elderly and the homeless? answer: Affirmative.
Rogério COPETO
Lieutenant Colonel of the GNR
Master in Law and Security and Homeland Security Auditor
Head of the Education Division / Command Doctrine and Training
Both in summer and in winter the General Directorate of Health (DGS), on account of the expected occurrence of adverse extreme temperatures implements the "Contingency Plan for Extreme Temperatures Adverse", respectively "Summer Module" and "winter Module", which aims to prevent mortality from extreme heat and extreme cold reason, as this week or verified, especially in most vulnerable, suggesting why a read our article entitled "adverse extreme temperatures", LN posted here no no dia 24 August 2016, for those who want to know more about it.
So, in compliance with the "Contingency Plan for Extreme Temperatures Adverse – Winter module ", whose "general objective of this plan is to prevent and minimize the negative effects of extreme cold and respiratory infections, including flu, the health of the population in general and of particular risk groups", the DGS through the media (OCS), begins by warning the people of the preventive measures that should be adopted, according to the News Journal echoed, to your article 5 Feb., with the title "The advice of DGS to face the cold", which are referred to some of the advice, namely that "the population is vaccinated against influenza and protect yourself from the cold, keeping the body warm, through the use of gloves, scarf, gorro/chapéu, footwear and warm clothing and using several layers of clothing. Também é recomendada a ingestão de lÃquidos e sopas para manter o corpo hidratado e, no exterior, It is recommended careful down situations. In the houses, The recommendation is that they remain hot, prompting the DGS to the need to verify 'if heating equipment is able to be used and the cleanliness of the fireplace chimney'. In the case of fireplaces, braziers, salamander or gas heating equipment, We need to 'ventilate the rooms in the house', since 'the accumulation of gases can cause poisoning or death'".
As part of its mission and how civil protection agent, GNR is responsible for replicating the warnings of DGS and so, by this point "strengthening the surveillance and carries out special support among over 45 thousand elderly people living alone and isolated from the cold", as he realized the Daily News in its edition of 5 Feb., in the article entitled "GNR will give special support because cold elderly", referring although the GNR, to accomplish this mission, engages daily about 400 military that will drive your patrol to the homes of these elderly, that they have been identified in the latest issue of "Operation Senior Census" and held in the month of March 2017, "as constituting the greatest example of social responsibility of GNR, within the activities that the GNR develops the so-called 'Policing Proximity'", The results can be found in page GNR, has been flagged 45 516 seniors, of which: Р28 279 live alone; Р5 124 They live isolated; Р3 521 They live alone and isolated and; Р8 592 ṇo se enquadram nas situa̵̤es anteriores, but fruit vulnerable to physical and / or psychological limitations. To learn more about this operation, We suggest a read our article 1 March 2017, with title "A notable success".
The advice that the GNR leads the elderly are particularly: – Avoid sleeping and resting near the heating equipment and adequately protect the fireplace so that does not become a fire outbreak; – Away mobile heaters; – Do not dry in roupar heaters; – Do not leave lit candles or badly off; – Prevent overcharging not calling too many appliances into the same outlet; – Wear several layers of clothing; – In the feeding give preference to hot beverages and soups; – Avoid alcoholic drinks; – Conduct a proper ventilation of the divisions in order to prevent the accumulation of harmful gases to the health and; – If you use fireplaces, braziers, salamanders or gas appliances keep proper ventilation of the divisions in order to prevent the accumulation of harmful gases to the health.
With regard to homeless people, whose correct definition is "that person who, regardless of their nationality, age, sex, socio-economic status and physical health and mental condition, meet: – homeless, living in public space housed in emergency shelter, or whereabouts in precarious spot; – Homeless, lying in temporary housing intended for this purpose", GNR also has responsibilities, that arise from the membership of the Implementation Group, Monitoring and Evaluation Strategy (GIMAE), than "It aims to promote and monitor the development of the Strategy, ensuring the mobilization of all the stakeholders to ensure the implementation of either "National Strategy for the Integration of People in homeless situation 2017-2023" (ENIPSA 2017/2023), whether the monitoring and evaluation of the whole process", whose coordination falls to the Social Security Institute, I. P.
Under the ENIPSA 2017/2023 by this time the institutions belonging to GIMAE give effect to the measures contained in, as RTP realized in part 6 Feb., entitled "Marcelo with homeless. 'Many more thousands than we had thought'", where it is stated that "Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa left praise the implementation of the National Strategy for the Integration of People Experiencing Homelessness Situation, admitting that "the census exceeded the numbers" estimated", adding further that "the census exceeded the numbers we thought. Many more thousands than we had thought and areas of the country that we had not imagined, as the case of Santarém, We have this problem of homelessness with a dimension that we had not imagined".
As mentioned in Part RTP, the number of homeless people is currently unknown, "mas athe end of 2009, when it was carried out a questionnaire to be created a database of homelessness in Portugal, "Were identified 2.133 homeless people and homeless, sleeping on the street, in cars, in abandoned houses or who stay in Temporary Reception Centers", (the questionnaire included the contributions of GNR), as he realized the public in its edition of 28 March 2011 in the article entitled "Most of the homeless are men between the 30 and 49 years and 6 years of schooling". Este desconhecimento do número atual de pessoas sem-abrigo poderá ter como motivo a “Lack of a shared information system", as stated in the conclusions of the "National Strategy Assessment Report for People Integration Homeless 2009/2015", presented in Public Debate session in Parliament, held on 18 April 2017, which was also presented to ENIPSA 2017-2023.
For these reasons, no doubt, the military GNR realize by now, a highly relevant service, the prevention of the consequences caused by the cold the most vulnerable population, as are the elderly and the homeless, so it is only fair praise this work and considers it as extremely important and distinct.
