Summer is coming and mom has a faulty temperature gauge!

mwillauer

My mother, who has moderate dementia, live with us. She frequently complains that she is very cold, so we make sure she has plenty of layers, but summer is coming, and my house is usually very warm even with the air conditioning on. My mother hates the air conditioner. She’ll complain that she senses a wind and demands we turn it off. If I use ceiling fans, she freaks out at their constant whirling. The rest of the family can’t go through a summer of 100+ temperatures without turning on the air (not that it would be good for her either), and I’m dreading the constant refrain of “It is cold. Turn that off!” I would appreciate the group sharingany tactics that have worked for you. Thank you.

harshedbuzz

My dad had mixed dementia; one was an alcohol-related WKS which destroyed his body's thermostat leaving him constantly cold. This can happen with other dementias as well.

Mom left the A/C on as needed and dressed dad for his comfort. He wore a lot of sweats and fleece vests. When he complained, we told him we would turn the fan off in the room where he was but would not be staying there with him. He craved mom's attention, so I held firm on this to keep her comfortable. A friend whose mom also complained of the cold, turned the vents off to mom's suite during the summer.

I don't know if this applies to your mom, but dad's body temperature ran a few degrees lower than it had pre-dementia. This meant he didn't register a "fever" in the event of an infection. It's something to keep an eye on.

lisn2cats

My mom is constantly cold too and she actually broke her thermostat fiddling with it so much (though that turned out to be the perfect opportunity to move her to AL). When she was at home, with my dad, I often told her that dad was suffering side effects from his cancer meds and the extreme warm temp in the house was making him suffer (which was, for the most part, true). I also threatened to run around naked because I could only take off so much while she could put on more layers (she is all about modesty). I also set up one room with a small portable heater with a timer so she had a warm room to go to while everyone else got to stop sweating. Now that she is in the AL, she keeps her room warm and when I visit, we sit in the comfy seating area outside her room so she can go back in to warm up before rejoining me.

ARIL

Just an observation: my LO seems to define all air movement as cold. It can be 85F, but if there is a slight wind or, indoors, if there is any kind of fan, it’s “cold.” Coats do seem to bring comfort, and I have gotten eagle-eyed about air vents. This is a person who was always hot-natured, so it has been an adjustment.

MissOldMom

My mom is also constantly cold even in our horribly hot and humid climate for about 6 months out of the year. She wears pants and long sleeves year round and we got her a thermal heated thrown blanket for where she sits and does nothing but watch tv all day. That seems to help. After the first year of living according to her own needs (she lives with us), I put my foot down and said I have not done well in the heat almost my entire adult life and that’s not about to change so we have to keep the fan on during the 6 months of oven and sauna temps in our part of the state. She hasn’t argued with me about it thankfully but when we aren’t in the room she gets up and sometimes turns it off. If we come back to spend any time in the room we then turn it on and tell her that in order for us to be in there we must have the air circulating. Luckily she doesn’t argue about that. She’s in late stage 4 early stage 5 if I had to pinpoint where she is in her logic.

I think several people have great ideas above. I think each family has to try different things to see what works best for their loved ones of course. The heated blanket works, but much of the time we notice my mom doesn’t ac try ally want solutions. She just wants to complain (had always been a worrier so that isn’t going to change). I agree with several people that have made comments on other topics that a lot of the time it’s more about being in the role of a caregiver and less of a child of the parent anymore. Which honestly sucks. Because I just want to be my mom’s daughter, not her nurse. But if she lives with us, that’s what it is and we just find new ways to get around the obstacles best we can. Sometimes it’s not pretty or easy. But with time it’s become more tolerable. Best to you.

lisn2cats

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/comment/245737#Comment_245737

Never thought of an electric blanket...slapping forehead!!!! And now they battery ones! Off to shop the Warming Store!

janeedee

Same - DH has VD and ALZ. The cold can be linked to the VD - (vascular system). He was also diagnosed with Raynaud’s syndrome. I know he is cold, even in summer. Fingernails are blue and hands are ice cold. In winter the whole fingertips can be white. At Dr visits they cannot get the oxygen levels from his fingertip bec it’s too cold.

However, I run hot and have told him the max/min temps I can stand. So he has flannel pajamas, electric throw, socks and the stretchy dollar store gloves are everywhere in the house and car. We also purchased electronic hand warmers as opposed to the disposable. He will sit on the Sun porch during 90 degree weather. A winter comforter is always on the bed (his side).

It is what it is, but I know it must look unusual when I’m in shorts and a tank top and he’s dressed like it’s January, lol