On a hot day, some seniors might mention that they’re feeling a chill, which can be surprising for family caregivers. What’s happening to cause that? This is a fairly common situation as seniors age. Understanding why helps family caregivers keep seniors safe and comfortable. Home care providers can offer help with all of this, too.
Possible Causes
There are so many possible causes for seniors to feel colder than the people around them. As they age, they can experience a slower metabolism. This leads to lower overall body heat, which makes seniors feel cooler. Their skin also thins and there is a thinner layer of fat under the skin, which reduces their ability to retain heat. Medical conditions like anemia, hypothyroidism, or diabetes can also make seniors feel colder. If they’re having trouble with circulation, seniors will have more trouble regulating their body temperatures.
Staying Comfortable
Regardless of the outside weather, seniors may need some extra help staying comfortable. Elder care providers can monitor the temperature in the home environment, ensuring that the thermostat is set to a comfortable temperature. If seniors are using heaters or heated blankets, home care providers can stay alert to make sure that these don’t cause seniors to become too hot. Home care assistance can also make sure that seniors are eating regular meals and snacks, because under-eating or not getting enough nutrients can slow metabolism even more and cause seniors to feel colder than they should.
Getting to the Doctor
In some cases, seniors have an underlying medical condition they don’t know about or that is out of control and that’s what’s causing them to feel cold. Getting to doctor’s appointments is an important way to stay on top of these issues and ensure that changes get addressed quickly. If seniors don’t drive any longer, however, it might be difficult for them to get to the doctor when they need to. Home care providers can help them have the transportation they need to stay on top of medical issues. And if mobility is a concern beyond just transportation, elder care providers can offer support all throughout the outing.
Emotional Help
Home care providers understand what seniors need, both physically and emotionally. Having someone there with them who is compassionate and is showing true gentle care is really important for aging adults. Seniors receive personalized attention from elder care providers who get to know them and notice quickly when something is wrong or even just when seniors need someone to talk to. This may not physically warm seniors up, but it does warm them up emotionally, which can be helpful, too.
Feeling colder or just being cold all the time may have a reason. Home care providers can help seniors and family caregivers to figure out what might be contributing to this issue. They can also make suggestions based on their experience to help aging adults feel more comfortable and safer in their homes as they age in place. That support helps them all year long, no matter what the weather is like outside.
If you or an aging loved one are considering home care in Needham, MA, please contact the caring staff at PlatinumCare + today. Call (617) 237-0867.
PlatinumCare + was born out of the desire and passion to provide the very best home health care possible in Brookline, Dover, Newton, Needham, Watertown, Weston, Cambridge, Lincoln, Sudbury, Belmont, Boston MA, and surrounding areas.
All with decades of experience, Tim in IT Operations, Support, and Management, Brenda in Client Relations, Healthcare Services & Sales Management, and Anne in Healthcare as a Nurse Practitioner combined their skills to form what is now PlatinumCare +.
As immigrants to the US, all came from backgrounds where Healthcare for aging parents was a responsibility of the immediate family and the entire community. Aging, sick, or terminal community members were cared for physically, emotionally, and financially by family, friends, including strangers! This community approach, Healthcare with a difference, delivered with the utmost love, care, sacrifice, and passion, forms the basis of how PlatinumCare + grounds itself.
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