My relative seems to need warm clothes even in the hot summer. He passed his annual physical as healthy. Is there anything that can be done to boost metabolism or increase circulation?
Calories=units of heat. The less calories an elder eats, the colder he tends to feel in general. Feed him calorie dense foods, so even if he eats little, he'll get in a good number of calories and likely feel warmer as a result.
Hats & scarves. Footwear. Hats are some of my best friends!
(Non-medical advice from a cold person here. Well I dislike the heat too... call me *sensitive*)
I must wear soled footwear on tiled floor & prefer socks/slippers on wooden floors.
I find even on a warm day, if air flow is hitting my face & neck my sensory perception is I am cold. So hats & scarves, even very light weight, stop this effect.
Those ladies in period dramas? Wearing big bonnets outdoors & little fine linen or lace caps indoors.. hmm not just to keep the spiders & lice out of one's hair..? Keeps your head warmer!
Anx, If M is too worried by electricity, you can always fold up a blanket or throw and put it in the oven for a few minutes. Take it out and re-fold, so it all gets warm. For a microwave, you might need to get it a little bit damp, just experiment.
I would throw the blanket in the clothes dryer to warm it up . My kids loved it when I did that for them when they were young . A blanket in a gas oven especially is a fire hazard .
Most folks as they get older tend to get more cold natured. Thankfully one can always put more clothing on to keep warm or add extra blankets. My late husband was very cold natured the last several years of his life and he would wear either fleece pajama pants or sweat pants on the bottom with a hooded sweatshirt on top with the hoodie up over his head even in when it was 100 degrees outside. And I would have to add an extra blanket on top of him as well. I also now visit a 100 year old woman who is very cold natured, and always has on a sweatshirt and long pants on when I come to her house. Plus she doesn't like her air-conditioning on, but keeps it on 80 degrees, so I always have to dress appropriately as I tend to be more hot natured. And I'm in NC which is very hot and humid all summer long and well into fall too. Like I always say though, when you're cold you can always put more clothing on but when you're hot, you can only take but so much off without getting arrested. So just make sure that your loved one is bundled up appropriately, and let them wear whatever it takes to keep them warm.
Funky, like I said earlier, more clothing just insulates, it doesn't generate heat. If the body isn't generating heat like it should, you have to add heat, not layers. For example, when explorers in polar regions have to stop a comrade from dying, they get in the sleeping bag with them in order to share their own body heat.
If M’s body isn’t generating enough heat, clothes or blankets won’t help. They insulate, but don’t add heat. There are things that do generate heat. I remember seeing ads for an electric heat panel that went over a chair seat and back, and now there are throws that would cover her lap and legs. That’s only useful for sitting, but it might help some of the time.
You should have a reverse cycle aircon, that will strip out humidity as well as provide heat. If you can’t find one that will do both at the same time, put it on cool while it strips humidity and while M is in another room, then start it on heat when she comes back in. We had ours on cool stripping high humidity (the gauge said over 95% humidity), and the outlet ran like a tap turned on. So humidity would stay low for at least a couple of hours.
See if you can pick a pattern. For example, I’m skinny, and don’t have much insulation on my shoulders. I get cold in bed, particularly with the bedhead that’s close to a stone wall, so I wear an extra top under my nightie. In his final days, my ex needed a heated throw if he wanted to sit outside, and a padded seat not just a canvas chair. Make sure your friend can put clothing on and off easily, so that he can self-assist. I can see the day coming when I won’t want to stretch up to put things on over my head.
So check clothing, body parts, and body surroundings. Geaton’s medical checks are really good, but don’t ignore the ordinary body effects.
He could be anemic. Has he had labwork done recently? You can look at his hemoglobin numbers. How much body fat does he have? Sometimes it's nothing to do with metabolism or circulation, but rather literal insulation. It's a pretty common problem with elders who are thin. Other reasons: Hypothyroidism Type 2 Diabetes Chronic Kidney Disease Pharmaceutical drug side effect Cardiovascular disease Heart disease Thin skin Vitamin B12 deficiency Blood vessel disorders
7 Answers
Helpful Newest
First Oldest
First
Hats are some of my best friends!
(Non-medical advice from a cold person here. Well I dislike the heat too... call me *sensitive*)
I must wear soled footwear on tiled floor & prefer socks/slippers on wooden floors.
I find even on a warm day, if air flow is hitting my face & neck my sensory perception is I am cold. So hats & scarves, even very light weight, stop this effect.
Those ladies in period dramas? Wearing big bonnets outdoors & little fine linen or lace caps indoors.. hmm not just to keep the spiders & lice out of one's hair..?
Keeps your head warmer!
(I'm googling Regency lace cap now..)
ADVERTISEMENT
My late husband was very cold natured the last several years of his life and he would wear either fleece pajama pants or sweat pants on the bottom with a hooded sweatshirt on top with the hoodie up over his head even in when it was 100 degrees outside.
And I would have to add an extra blanket on top of him as well.
I also now visit a 100 year old woman who is very cold natured, and always has on a sweatshirt and long pants on when I come to her house. Plus she doesn't like her air-conditioning on, but keeps it on 80 degrees, so I always have to dress appropriately as I tend to be more hot natured. And I'm in NC which is very hot and humid all summer long and well into fall too.
Like I always say though, when you're cold you can always put more clothing on but when you're hot, you can only take but so much off without getting arrested.
So just make sure that your loved one is bundled up appropriately, and let them wear whatever it takes to keep them warm.
You should have a reverse cycle aircon, that will strip out humidity as well as provide heat. If you can’t find one that will do both at the same time, put it on cool while it strips humidity and while M is in another room, then start it on heat when she comes back in. We had ours on cool stripping high humidity (the gauge said over 95% humidity), and the outlet ran like a tap turned on. So humidity would stay low for at least a couple of hours.
So check clothing, body parts, and body surroundings. Geaton’s medical checks are really good, but don’t ignore the ordinary body effects.