always feeling cold

My FIL is also very cold. He does have low BP and his extremities are always cold. We try to prop his feet up several times a day and put a blanket on him. I also make sure there is adequate salt and electrolytes his diet which helps. Otherwise, it’s just keep a blanket and hat on him. I have knitted hats that he likes to wear.

My DW has the same issue. It is toasty warm here but she is constantly "cold". I have come to accept this as just another symptom of dementia.

This is a very common complaint. 

Sometimes it can be a function of weight loss, lack of activity and/or low blood pressure in addition to the damaged brain processing temperature.

Dad used to crank up the heat to 85F in July in coastal MD-- alas empathy left the building along with Elvis so others were forced to suffer along. And yikes on their electric bills. 

My dad had mixed dementia- one of those was an alcohol-related dementia called Werknicke-Korsakoff's which is caused by a Thiamine deficiency. This condition damages the hypothalamus which is the part of the brain that regulates temperature.  In his case, his body temperature was also considerably lower than his normal had been prior. That's him some 4 years before his diagnosis; he's failed at turning up the thermostat behind him and decided to wear my fur hat for warmth.

HB

I don’t know if always feeling cold is a dementia brain misperception or a frail elderly body. I’m leaning toward the latter but who truly knows. Dad is always cold. Anemic and have to be treated. Just had a blood transfusion. Yet with all that, he's still cold. This week, the hospital is keeping the air unit off. Turn the unit on to get relief while visiting and he goes to saying he is cold. Poor circulation, meds, diabetes, heart issues, and I believe metabolism slows. Believe it or not, my husband and I are fairly young. However, when using the air he is too cold and I'm like all lovely. Then when it is time to use the heat he is about to run me out the house and I'm like if you don't cut it down.

My DH is always saying he is cold.he keeps his fleece lined jacket on! We are in Texas. Yesterday it was 98 and the “feels like “ was 106. I had a tank top on and was hot! He is as healthy as a horse except for Alzheimer’s. I asked mentioned this to his psychiatrist and he did tell me feeling cold is just another part of the disease. 

Prayers for all of us! 

Same with MIL.  but also elderly relatives.  Poor blood circulation, lower blood pressure, lack of exercise, meds... a lot of reasons.  That is why a lot of facilities keep it warmer than say, a regular house would be.

We had to put a cover over the thermostat.  She had cranked the temp up into the 80;s, and it was way too hot, where even she said it was warm.  Another time, got up in the morning and it was stifling!  She had put it on 'emergency heat'.  We put one of those plastic covers over it with a lock - the kind you see in an office or school.  Told her it was something with the insurance company...  We keep it just a couple degrees warmer than we would prefer, but we can breathe, and she just uses a sweater or will wear long-sleeves. Gave the cover a dirty look, but has gotten used to it.

I feel my moms hands and nose.  If they are cold then she definitely feels it even though she doesn’t complain much anymore about it.  If they are warm then I knows she’s warm.

My mom is also always cold.  We are sweating and she says she is cold.  In the winter we can just use a little heater near her, but in the summer it is harder.  She won't stay in under a heating blanket.  We tried a heat hoodie, but she won't wear it because it is "ugly."

Goodness; I sure do hear you!  This is a problem issue with multiple possible factors.  We have several very elderly relatives who do not have dementia who also are always cold - their homes always have heat cranked waaaaay up even in summer.  When visiting, at times we have to exit the house to stand outside awhile to cool off.  Poor circulation, anemia, blood pressure issues, and on and on . . . so many possibilities.

With my mother and step-dad, both with dementia at the same time, we had to take various measures.   Step-dad froze no matter the temperature in mid summer.  I got him clothing that felt tactically soft and warm - nice sweatshirts and matching pants, fleecy warm socks, gloves, (would not wear hats).  What seemed to help was getting him an electric lap blanket.  If he could feel the low temp warmth with his hands, he seemed to think he was warmer all over.  In his instance, he did indeed have circulation problems which probably was part of the causative factor.

The other issue was that the thermostat had battery operated remote controls.  My mother kept the control in her hands - she would ratchet the heat up and up and up and up until we were frying.  What I did was rather than argue or try to sneak around her, I took the batteries out of her control and hid the working one that I left the batteries in.

As long as she could click, click, click to her heart's content, she was fine.  She had such little control over anything else due to dementia, this was one small thing that seemed to please her that she could "control."

Do have your LOs labs drawn next MD appt. to see if there is anything awry with anemia or other body system which may be contributing to the feeling of coldness.  If all is okay on that front, then forging ahead with whatever helps including fiblets is what one is left with.

Let us know how it is going, hope that you find a solution soon.

J.

I don't have dementia, but ever since I turned 45 as a female, I can related to body temperature regulation issues.  Especially carrying some extra pounds which is bad for my circulation.  The diuretic water pill hydrochlorothiazide might contribute to feeling cold, not sure.  I've developed a lot of solutions.  Some of the new space heaters are called radiant heaters so mostly their heat is felt right on the person in front of them.  They are not all designed with forced fans, so their are silent airless ones.  Also, if you have a lamp that can accept a 250 watt bulb, you can get a basking bulb at a large pet supply store in the turtle section.  It does put out UV-A but I don't think it's too cancer-causing.  I have one and it helps me stay warm.  I also have an electric throw, which is slightly easier to manage than an electric blanket.  I use an electric heating pad on the couch, and now there are little heating pads that plug into a laptop for power, too. 

On the other hand, there are also air conditioners which are mostly efficient to the person in front of them, and those are the portable ones.  I also have one of those, lol.  An ice pack just above the lower back stays nicely in place while a person sits.  They are most effective on arteries, like behind the neck or wrapped around the wrist.

All of these measures need to be monitored so that your LO doesn't overheat or freeze.

When a person's blood sugar is low, they can feel very cold.  The next time your LO is freezing, ask them to eat a piece of something sugary (not fatty because the fat slows digestion).  If they perk up within 10 minutes, then you'll know their blood sugar was low without having to prick their finger.  If they perk up but it takes 40 minutes, then their blood sugar was really, really badly low.