suggestions in how to keep dad warm and comfortable while keeping the house not to hot for family caregivers. Elderly dad who has declined a lot in the last few weeks. He is 88 and a down syndrom son who is 50 and is recovering from neck surgery.
This is even a problem in nursing homes. Elders generally get cold easily, and they aren't active. Caregivers are usually younger, and they are running around, so they get hot. There's no easy answer.
Some people like those blankets that have snaps to keep them around their shoulders. I got my mom one, but she'd never use it. They can be balky. Also, you don't want your dad to get up wearing the thing and trip.
Layers help. Silk or synthetic underwear can make a big difference, and that type of uderwear is much less bulky than the old "longjohns" your dad may remember. The question is: will he wear them or think they are for "women"? Anyway, layers would be my suggestion. Any other ideas folks? Carol
My Mom used to turn up the heat and wear her summer clothing year round. Then she wondered why her heating bills were so high. Her apt. often felt like a steam bath. I finally convinced her to wear long sleeve tops (even though she thinks that they are too restrictive) and bought her several sweaters in different weights. I also marked her thermostat with a permanent marker so she could see where a reasonable setting should be.
when u get older and on bp meds , blood s thinner and you do get cold , bone chillin inside and its hard to keep warm , i have wood stove going all times and if its not warm enuff i crank the furnace up higher . escsialy inthe mornings when he gets out of bed , he s wet and cold , i crank up the heat and bathroom is very hot . gotta keep my dad warm . then i would crank the heat down and he be wearing t shirt and flannel shirt and sweat pants and housesleepers . then he go sit in recliner and i d put his fav blanket on him . he never complains im cold ... he s nice and warm . i know how it is to be cold cuz im cold blooded too . skinney and dont have any fat to keep me warm .
My Mom has her own room and we keep an extra space heater in there so that her bedroom stays warm, that way we can turn the heat down at night without it effecting her. During the day she wears layers and often grabs a blanket to wrap around her shoulders. You might also try heating up a blanket, socks, sweater, etc. in the dryer and giving it to your dad to wear. I do this for my Mom for her showers, and sometimes if she is complaining about being too cold.
I bought my Mom a nice soft electric blanket for Christmas. I finally found something that she loves and actually uses. It was not cheap at $70.00 in Target, but it is a nice one and well worth the money. I am thinking of asking my son to put heat lamps in the ceilings in the bathrooms so she is not cold when she gets out of the bath. She procrastinates taking baths becasue of the cold, so maybe this would be the answer, I will let you know how that works out.
i thought about a electri blanket then quickly change my mind cuz dad wakes up wet , soppy wet . just use warm pj and socks on and thick blankets . bathroom time i crank up the furnace and blows warm air on him , when done with bathroom i turn down the heat back . wears t shirt and sweatshirt & sweat pant and relax on recliner with few blankets on him . i keep my house at 73 degree or 75 ..plus woodstove burning .
The temperature on the blanket is adjustable so if my Mom gets too hot she just turns it down. I think it may cost more money to crank the furnance up and then down for a bath because you are now heating up the whole house. If you have any other suggestions please let me know
hot water bottles. I often fill REAL juice bottles with hot water and Mom can hold it to get her hands warm. There are large heating pads, the one I have goes off after two hours. There are inexpensive massage pads for chairs, or easy chairs that are heated massage units built in. Mom finds my shiatsu one too hard on her back. I think there is a heated massage pad for bed. Homedics makes all sorts of neat heat/massagers, including ones for the feet. A hot foot bath with bubbles and massage is also welcome. Even when she's cold, she doesn't like water being HOT.
I read that coconut "oil" is good to add to diet to generate internal heat in older folks. There used to be some bad press about these palm oils, but then read that they are some of the best oils for the body. It solidifies at room temp, but not saturated in the damaging was animal fats are.
Hot water bottles are great. I bought mom several, I put them under her feet and bought her some hunting socks. I knit so I make her crazy hats and put them on her. She loves that her hair isn't messy and looks cute, I love them because she seems to stay warmer without burning me up. When she is really cold, I dampen hand towels put them in the microwave for about 30 seconds and then wrap her feet in them. It seems her feet and head are the main complaints of what is cold.
You might try these things: -gloves with the fingers or fingertips clipped out -special socks that can be warmed in the microwave; they retain gentle heat for 30 minutes or so while he would not need to be walking around -regular socks warmed by folding into a heating pad before wearing -space heater for his own living area; new ones are very safe to operate -seating in a bright or sunlit room MAYBE EVEN -adding warm colors to his room (paint, accessories, flowers) -using the 'natural daylight' bulbs; I wonder if they might not stimulate a sense of well-being -Vitamin D and/or B complex supplements -warm beverages on a regular basis And, a heated mattress pad that you can shut off just before he gets into bed.
Oh and also in the camping/hunting area of Walmart they sell disposable hand feet warmers. You mash them and can put them in socks, hold them in your hand, put them under them, wherever they are cold.
better yet, search on Amazon for Reusable Hand Warmers. These are crystalline activiated heat. You activate by boiling the bags for only six minutes. Then let them cool. To activate the heat, push "button," and the chemical reaction will give heat for a half hour, to 130 degrees. You can buy them in bulk and always have them handy. Remember having a large one that was great. Now will get a bunch of these for mom's hands.
This is a common problem not only with the elderly, but since i have low thyroid and live in cold wet climate i have spent many yrs trying to keep myself from freezing, if one has a small area turning the heat up to keep comfortable would be the answer, but at the same time wearing the appropriate clothing would be a start, although i could wear several thick socks and slippers at the same time my feet & hands would always be frozen,. so i bought a higher top boot slipper with the thick cozy fabric inside, i also have different sized heated blankets and heating pads (for my feet) which is a life saver,(also having a heating pad to sit on or use in lap or back helps immensely). as my husband and kids won't have to get over heated while i can take my blankets & pads anywhere i need. believe my i have tried most everything out there, one other suggestion that helped in bed more than a heated blanket that made the biggest difference is a heated mattress cover, make sure to get one that does truly heat the bed and will not turn itself off after 10 hrs, as we wake up to a cold bed. they may be harder to find but you will be gland you did. my girlfriend keeps hers on, never shuts it off, this way she will always be warm when she needs to rest, with many health issues most people do want to lay down during the day, and not just at night, getting into cold sheets anytime is a shock, believe me i know. as far as warming the bathrm, i have always done this whether for babies, kids, and me, i purchased a small portable heater that i turn on several minutes before bathing and it works wonderfully, just make sure to point the heater away from the person that is wet, as the warm air from the fan will chill them, this little heater can also be used to set up next to the person anywhere needed to keep the individual warm or set in a individual room so the rest of the house is not affected. make sure the portable heater has at least 3 settings. hope this helps all of freezing out there. peace & warmth to all.
Personally I think this is the $64,000.00 question that no one has an answer for. Just keep a hand fan near by. In the morning when I'm done bathing my mom, I am dripping in sweat. I have to turn up the heat as she will get cold. The old saying is grandma's always cold. When Im done I just turn the heater from 90 to 70, open a window, and use a hand fan. If I'm lucky I can get a few good fan's in before she is asking me to do something else.
What we do for my m-i-l is in the winter layer her up in clothing (LS camisole, Turtleneck and Sweatshirt) (legs--Jeans or Sweatpants and knee-high socks) plus shoes.
My s-i-l bought her a big, bulky fuzzy blanket. Yes, it is warm--but she didn't take into consideration that she doesn't have that much muscle to move it off of her when she has to go to the bathroom (and she usually waits until the very last second). The big, bulky fuzzy blanket is used only if we are downstairs with her for a long time or it sits in the closet.
She does have lighter blankets to put over her if she is chilly and we do have a space heater for her (if it needs to be turned on).
Some people like those blankets that have snaps to keep them around their shoulders. I got my mom one, but she'd never use it. They can be balky. Also, you don't want your dad to get up wearing the thing and trip.
Layers help. Silk or synthetic underwear can make a big difference, and that type of uderwear is much less bulky than the old "longjohns" your dad may remember. The question is: will he wear them or think they are for "women"? Anyway, layers would be my suggestion. Any other ideas folks?
Carol
I finally convinced her to wear long sleeve tops (even though she thinks that they are too restrictive) and bought her several sweaters in different weights.
I also marked her thermostat with a permanent marker so she could see where a reasonable setting should be.
i have wood stove going all times and if its not warm enuff i crank the furnace up higher . escsialy inthe mornings when he gets out of bed , he s wet and cold , i crank up the heat and bathroom is very hot . gotta keep my dad warm .
then i would crank the heat down and he be wearing t shirt and flannel shirt and sweat pants and housesleepers . then he go sit in recliner and i d put his fav blanket on him . he never complains im cold ... he s nice and warm .
i know how it is to be cold cuz im cold blooded too . skinney and dont have any fat to keep me warm .
just use warm pj and socks on and thick blankets .
bathroom time i crank up the furnace and blows warm air on him , when done with bathroom i turn down the heat back .
wears t shirt and sweatshirt & sweat pant and relax on recliner with few blankets on him .
i keep my house at 73 degree or 75 ..plus woodstove burning .
Thanks,
Maggie
I read that coconut "oil" is good to add to diet to generate internal heat in older folks. There used to be some bad press about these palm oils, but then read that they are some of the best oils for the body. It solidifies at room temp, but not saturated in the damaging was animal fats are.
-gloves with the fingers or fingertips clipped out
-special socks that can be warmed in the microwave; they retain gentle heat for 30 minutes or so while he would not need to be walking around
-regular socks warmed by folding into a heating pad before wearing
-space heater for his own living area; new ones are very safe to operate
-seating in a bright or sunlit room
MAYBE EVEN
-adding warm colors to his room (paint, accessories, flowers)
-using the 'natural daylight' bulbs; I wonder if they might not stimulate a sense of well-being
-Vitamin D and/or B complex supplements
-warm beverages on a regular basis
And, a heated mattress pad that you can shut off just before he gets into bed.
(LS camisole, Turtleneck and Sweatshirt) (legs--Jeans or Sweatpants and knee-high socks) plus shoes.
My s-i-l bought her a big, bulky fuzzy blanket. Yes, it is warm--but she didn't take into consideration that she doesn't have that much muscle to move it off of her when she has to go to the bathroom (and she usually waits until the very last second). The big, bulky fuzzy blanket is used only if we are downstairs with her for a long time or it sits in the closet.
She does have lighter blankets to put over her if she is chilly and we do have a space heater for her (if it needs to be turned on).
Those are my suggestions.