I believe they are really cold, as the body apparently loses a lot of the fat layer under the skin as one ages. Jackets, sweaters and other layers are a great idea.
I am only 72 and most of the time I am cold (when everyone else is hot)
We have an electric over-blanket. I have to have this one every night for at least an hour. Luckily we have one that has duel control, so he doesn't suffer my blanket.
Occasionally I have ' a bit of a sweat' but I have a mini fan for those. I have to have my socks on every day, even the hot ones. My hands and feet get (or are) cold most of the time.
I call it old blood. :) I never used to feel the cold so much until the put me on BP tablets because mine was high.
If the back of my neck is not too hot then I am comfortable. Ha ha ha like I used to check the babies. :)
If he is happy and comfortable, that is all we can ask.
My mother wore a sweater every day. She wore fingerless mittens. She used a lap blanket. And most of the other residents appeared to be dressed similarly, no matter what the building temperature was. The poor aides couldn't have the building comfortably air-conditioned for their active work.
Perhaps the basic issue is whether or not we can really tell how a person feels. My father was cold, as was my mother. My sister and were both hot (not in the normal sense of being a "hottie"). There was one time when we both had to escape from our parents' house and get outside b/c of the high heat in the summer. Mom and Dad were comfortable; my sister and I were sweating.
But that changed when she developed cancer, and it changed for me when my activity level segued from outdoor work to sitting inside in hospitals and nursing homes.
I think it's both a function of age, activity, and personal body composition. But, if someone feels cold, then I think the right thing to do is accept and address it, especially if with an elder whose activity level has lessened and he/she lacks the capacity to work out.
Drinking warm fluids can help though. Hot chocolate and honey/lemon tea works.
Ng, any time I went to visit my elderly parents the inside temp was like that of a rain forest. There Mom sat with a thermo undershirt, a long sleeve shirt, a sweater over that, long pants, and knee socks. And she was still feeling chilly.
And there my Dad sat wearing outdoor shorts and nothing else because the house was too hot. I found I could only stay to visit for maybe 15 minutes as the heat was getting to me.
Now, medicines and certain illnesses can make a person feel very cold. Thyroid is one condition that can do that.
Another thing, a few years ago my Dad went around and changed out all the old fashioned light bulbs and had put in those newer twisted type bulbs. He was thinking how much electricity he could save. Well, that backfired, as my Mom was now feeling much colder because there wasn't the heat which would come off the older light bulbs. Thus, Dad had to raise the heat temp on the furnace, there went his savings.
If your father is turning red in the face and sweating profusely while stating that he is cold, then you can assume there is a perception problem and not a cold problem and you might want to persuade him to wear alternative clothing - maybe he'd swap the jacket for a safari shirt or something like that.
But if he appears normal for him and he's comfier in his jacket, let him keep it on.
They are really cold. So let them have their sweater but DO NOT allow them to touch the home thermostat because other people live there too.
I’ve been burned up at various elderly relatives houses. One of those Amish small heaters in whatever room they are occupying is a good answer. Safe, effective and inexpensive to run.
My mother is 88 and is cold all the time regardless of the temp indoors or out. She always has a throw wrapped around her when she reads or watches TV. Her feet and hands are always cold but she has poor circulation and a low thyroid which contributes to the problem. She always takes a sweater when we go out but, here in Texas, businesses tend to keep their building temperature set to "freezing"!
(sigh); When I'd visit my mom in Independent Living, I would open and door and stagger back from the heat.
I'd be there in May, and she'd have the heat on. The thermostat in the apartment generally read in the high 80's, low 90's.
I got mom's doc to tell her that this was unhealthy (it was, she had high blood pressure, but he was wise enough to know that HE wasn't going to be able to change her habits).
Is that the reason she had stroke on July 1st? We'll never know.
I believe they are really cold, as the body apparently loses a lot of the fat layer under the skin as one ages. Jackets, sweaters and other layers are a great idea.
We have an electric over-blanket. I have to have this one every night for at least an hour. Luckily we have one that has duel control, so he doesn't suffer my blanket.
Occasionally I have ' a bit of a sweat' but I have a mini fan for those.
I have to have my socks on every day, even the hot ones. My hands and feet get (or are) cold most of the time.
I call it old blood. :) I never used to feel the cold so much until the put me on BP tablets because mine was high.
If the back of my neck is not too hot then I am comfortable. Ha ha ha like I used to check the babies. :)
If he is happy and comfortable, that is all we can ask.
Hugs.
But that changed when she developed cancer, and it changed for me when my activity level segued from outdoor work to sitting inside in hospitals and nursing homes.
I think it's both a function of age, activity, and personal body composition. But, if someone feels cold, then I think the right thing to do is accept and address it, especially if with an elder whose activity level has lessened and he/she lacks the capacity to work out.
Drinking warm fluids can help though. Hot chocolate and honey/lemon tea works.
And there my Dad sat wearing outdoor shorts and nothing else because the house was too hot. I found I could only stay to visit for maybe 15 minutes as the heat was getting to me.
Now, medicines and certain illnesses can make a person feel very cold. Thyroid is one condition that can do that.
Another thing, a few years ago my Dad went around and changed out all the old fashioned light bulbs and had put in those newer twisted type bulbs. He was thinking how much electricity he could save. Well, that backfired, as my Mom was now feeling much colder because there wasn't the heat which would come off the older light bulbs. Thus, Dad had to raise the heat temp on the furnace, there went his savings.
But if he appears normal for him and he's comfier in his jacket, let him keep it on.
I’ve been burned up at various elderly relatives houses. One of those Amish small heaters in whatever room they are occupying is a good answer. Safe, effective and inexpensive to run.
I'd be there in May, and she'd have the heat on. The thermostat in the apartment generally read in the high 80's, low 90's.
I got mom's doc to tell her that this was unhealthy (it was, she had high blood pressure, but he was wise enough to know that HE wasn't going to be able to change her habits).
Is that the reason she had stroke on July 1st? We'll never know.
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