My wife suffers with being cold all the time. She’ll have blankets on her, wearing a jacket and is still cold, even though it is 74°. I’m getting her a full length heating pad, but any other ideas? Is there a biological explanation for this.
Check with her doctor for health concerns. Usually feeling cold all the time is a symptom of a health issue: anemia due to low absorption of iron, low thyroid hormone levels, poor function of the heart... Also some medications can cause this as a side effect - namely thinking of blood thinners.
My mom is 83 and her hands/feet are always cold. Her thyroid levels are fine but her RBC count has been low. She is taking Geritol with iron, but she does not eat much. I suspect there is a problem with her digestive tract, perhaps internal bleeding. She has an appointment coming up with a gastroenterologist.
Warm: tea, coffe, apple cidar with cinnamon soup or stew a couple times a day. Small extremely low dose asprin for blood flow is used by a relative of mine. Fleece lined lounger top and bottom with hoodie if possible. Fleece booties and or sox. Flannel sheet set including pillow case if possible. Fleece throw, light but can cover the whole body. Fleece sox can also be used as house mittens. Soak feet in warm water, massage to increase blood circulation, and apply vapor rub before putting on sox and house shoes. Fleece soxs can be purchased at Dollar Tree for $1.00. Last of all, laughter, pleasant scenery even if its from a television show or movie, preferably tropic and just plain beautiful.
I would suggest first to have a doctor check her circulation system, and if all checks ok. Get her a personal space heater she can put on when she feels cold. Alzheimers has various effects on patients. You have to understand that she might just perceive she's cold but you as her care giver have to address the problem as best you can. Sorry hope things turns out ok for you.
Terrysmellgood: Imho, perhaps she needs to be seen by her primary care physician for starters, who should then provide her with a referral to the proper specialist.
Thermal underwear, undershirts and socks under street clothes everyday and a sleep cap at night. Items named by many others sound effective too. You will need to experiment to see what your wife enjoys most.
Poor circulation?? That's why nursing homes are always so warm. There's probably nothing else you can do depending on her age. My mother was the same way the last 10 years of her life. She passed at 85 and had leaky heart valves. Too old for surgery.
A lot of elderly people tend to feel rather cold because of decreased circulation, but I think it could be a serious heart problem that should be checked out by a doctor very soon.
My 95 year old mum lives with me and we are at opposite ends of the scale. She is always cold and I am always hot. So she has layers of clothes, a hot water bottle, a microwavable heat pad, a fleecy blanket and hot drinks, whilst I am in a tee shirt sitting in front of a fan. And when I put the heating on for her it feels stifling for me!!! She has a degree of heart failure and her circulation is bad. She has also got quite thin so all of it contributes to her feeling cold. I think it's just another thing we have to deal with as the body ages.
Check iron levels, get turtleneck pjs or at least a soft scarf and keep a hat on her head inside and out. Also you can either buy a buckwheat bag that heats in the micro for her hands and feet or make your own.
You can get some slippers at the drug stores that have stuff in the toes and you put them in the microwave and then it keeps your feet warm, if your feet are warm the rest of you is usually warm. I use them because I have Fibromyalgia and so my feet go numb, and the slippers really help with the circulation. You could use that and also the same thing with a neck heat wrap you put in the microwave, those two things alone should help.
Is she able to use Flannel Sheets? I live in a apartment where the heating is not the greatest and Flannel sheets are very helpful for me. I know you can find some at places like WM, I know found some in the past at places like the dollar stores and yard sales. Also you can make a heatable rice pack that she can use anytime, even while she is sleeping. You place it in the microwave to heat it up. There are patterns and instructions for these on the internet.
Sparkielyle, sorry I didn't get a chance to respond to your inquiry about men's hunting socks. I couldn't find the size and other info tag, but I thought of something I used that's even better. And apologies if anyone else has suggested this; there are so many responses that I didn't take to read them all.
I used dancer's leg warmers. I began wearing them decades ago when I walked during cold weather. I wear them at home during winter power failures. They also were perfect for shoveling snow during cold weather.
And unlike socks, they're not straight w/o conformance to the shape of legs. They're graduated, so they're more conforming to leg size.
This also was the case with my father who had congestive heart failure and my husband's sister, who had COPD. It could be a circulation issue. Do you monitor her oxygen to see if it is at a good level (90 or above)? There are oxygen monitors you clip on a finger for a minute or so that you can purchase. Consult with her doctor to see if there is a medical reason. There may not be much that can be done to improve her situation. Your idea of a heating pad sounds good. Get one that has an automatic shutoff or thermostat so she doesn't risk being burned.
I use them because I have Fibromyalgia and so my feet go numb, and the slippers really help with the circulation.
You could use that and also the same thing with a neck heat wrap you put in the microwave, those two things alone should help.
I used dancer's leg warmers. I began wearing them decades ago when I walked during cold weather. I wear them at home during winter power failures. They also were perfect for shoveling snow during cold weather.
And unlike socks, they're not straight w/o conformance to the shape of legs. They're graduated, so they're more conforming to leg size.
https://www.discountdance.com/dancewear/warm-ups/knitwear/page1?styleFocus=4444&camp=GoogleShopping_4444&utm_source=GoogleShopping&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=4444&utm_campaign=Products&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIu527pZed9AIVOm1vBB0KUwWaEAQYASABEgInc_D_BwE
or just go to Discountdance.com and search for leg warmers.
If you do buy a pair for your mother, make sure they're the ones without straps across the feet.
Hope this helps.