Elders and warmth retention. Any advice?

B-12 supplements are NOT sufficient. If she really is deficient, she will need IM injections of B-12 depending on her level of deficiency. Again, her thyroid needs to be checked with a blood test ordered from a doctor. A baby aspirin is only making her blood thinner and has nothing to do with her endocrine system.

As a person who is always cold myself I know I would rather be sweating than chilly! But really, you should be able to find some balance. A hot water bottle on her lap would warm her core and hands. And I find keeping my feet and ankles warm really makes a difference as well. As for the coffee, buy decaf and let her have it. Hot drinks are another way to help her feel warm. There are some great herbal teas as well!

LL Bean has flannel shirts that are lined, also other types of shirts that are meant to be worn by hunters that keep you warm and sweat free. I put my Dad in them, and he is happy.

I noticed when my mother spent weekends with me if she once got chilled she was in a poor state for the rest of the visit. Getting cold also had a negative effect on my husband when he had dementia. I guess getting cold is a physical stress, and stress can make dementia symptoms worse. I remember getting very cold on a skiing trip once, and it took me days to feel normal again.

Various illnesses can get the internal thermostat out of whack!

Hi jujubean, I've been a lurker on here for a couple of weeks and this is my first post so please bear with me. Per another post, consider getting her some microfiber (soft/stretchy) moisture-wicking long johns. I have heard good things about the "Under Armour" brand, but I've never tried it myself. They have socks as well. I hope pamstegman will give a more detailed response.

A family member also has thryoid issues (cancer) and had a gastric bypass. I truly wish more doctors and nurses would take the time to learn the long-term needs of gastric bypass patients. Some of her sensitivity to cold may be due to her lack of vitamins and adequate grams of protein. Ensure is not good enough. My family member has to take over 18 vitamins a day and ideally 90-120 grams of protein a day - just to give you an idea. So, that is an issue that compounds the general coldness that typical old folks feels.

The space heater is a good quick fix as long as it's not a safety hazard. In any case, best to you.

When it comes to vitamins, they only work if your body has a low count of that said vitamin.... otherwise you are just [ahem] peeing it out every day, and that's money down the drain, it's not going to do anything for you.

On the other side of the coin, if your body has a higher than normal count of that said vitamin, adding more could become toxic.

I highly recommend one see their doctor and get blood work done to see your vitamin levels.

As a nurse, the first thing I think of is she has a low thyroid (which causes her to be so cold), an iron deficiency and or B-12 deficiency. Have all of these checked. She also is not moving enough. Exercise is a great stimulator of vessels and she must be drinking lots of water too. Being dehydrated will cause the body to conserve resources and not heat the body, but again it sounds more like a thyroid problem. Why not get a heating pad or the mittens with heaters in them. Why can't you just dress her in layers, then when she does start to overheat, remove a layer. I'll bet if she eats five or six times a day (small meals) this will also help regulate her blood sugar. Hope this helps!

Re: heating pads or anything electric or battery--requires supervison! She could get tangled in the cords & strangle, or could wrap around a lamp and pull it over, or the heat could be too hot & she not know how to turn off, or even get burns.
Re: clothing/blankets--there is a popular quote "cotton kills" because it doesn't allow moisture to evaporate, it absorbs it and keeps it next to skin, where it encourage bacterial & fungal growth, not to mention, feeling cold. Avoid anything cotton. InInstead use nylon (undergarments), acrylic (socks, sweaters, blankets) and polyester blends with a looser weave, or polyester fleece (blouse & slacks). Best of all options is wool--best breathability of all, but mostly you'll find this in a washable version only in socks, sweaters & blankets.
Having thick socks on may help if she is not moving her lower limbs much, and for overall sense of being cold, wear a hat! This is because a lot of blood circulates thru the brain which is in your head (at least for females....). Alao consider a cowl or short neck scarf but these might be a strangulation hazard.

freqflyer- you said, "When it comes to vitamins, they only work if your body has a low count of that said vitamin." This is true. The problem is that many elder care/geriatric/normal doctors and nurses are too busy to learn squat about the nutritional needs of someone who has had gastric bypass.

Here is my personal example: when my family member fell ill with thryroid cancer and was in the hospital, I told everyone and anyone who would listen and even spoke to their on-staff nutritionist. Someone with gastric bypass needs at the very least 60 grams of protein. 90 is better. 120 is actually the best, especially for people ailing and needing more support.

After all my attempts at trying to communicate this, guess what they brought my family member? Spaghetti with a very small meat sauce. You could get more meat/protein from the cheapest Taco Bell taco. I had to smuggle in tubes of liquid protein, again from Vitamin Shoppe and no I'm not an employee or stockholder. I was just trying to save a life when no one else would listen.

Good things can come from doctors and nurses specializing in something; but bad things come as well because there is obviously a painful lack of communication.

Same with the coffee.....that Is the only thing I can get her to drink without a fight and she always ask for it....no matter who I tell no coffee they do what they like....especially "in rehab facility" we already are struggling with liquid intake I need good electrolytes and plain water in her not just coffee.....and caffeine is a dehydrator so must be decaf if anything!! when challenged, nursing home says....oh she's old let her have what she wants, she deserves it...WTF....who put you in charge of my mom's health!