21/01/2025
DEMENTIA INFORMATION:
"WHY IS SHE SO COLD ALL THE TIME?"
Elderly people with dementia are often continuously cold, even when you perceive the temperature of the room to be comfortable.
Why?
Our skin is made up of three layers. The epidermis is the top, the dermis is the middle, and the hypodermis is the fatty bottom layer. Aging causes us to lose our insulating hypodermis, leaving our blood vessels closer to the skin's surface. Those who are thinner often have veiny hands, and their arms bruise easily, and because of this, one is more susceptible to the cold.
The older person with progressing dementia often becomes thinner, and the loss of the fatty tissue under their skin causes them to feel too cold.
Dementia also damages the brain and can deregulate how the brain regulates body temperature. The mind-body connection might be impaired, and the brain can’t correctly interpret the signals from the skin; however, this doesn’t mean they don’t feel it. They feel uncomfortable, and it can cause behavior disturbances.
In the earlier stages, they might constantly turn up the heat or complain it's cold. Later, when they have lost more cognitive abilities, they might not know what is happening and can’t explain it or ask for what they need.
When I was conducting a training workshop in a nursing home in Florida, I heard a distress call coming from a frail, thin old man in a wheelchair. He was in the corridor, not far from the nurse’s station, yet no one was paying attention.
I asked him what was wrong, and he replied in a small, weak voice, “I’m so cold. So cold.” I noticed he only had on a thin sweater, and when I touched his hand, it was like ice. The nurse saw me and called out, “He has dementia and he always says that.” I was furious and went to the linen room, got a couple of heavy blankets, and wrapped him in them from neck to toe. His eyes showed relief, and he kissed my hand, saying thank you repeatedly.
It's essential to automatically assume the person with dementia might be cold, especially in air conditioning. Dress them accordingly and always keep a sweater or comforter close for if they get cold.
Touch their hands or feet, and if their body temperature has already lowered, like the man in the nursing home, you can put a towel or blanket in the dryer for a few minutes. Be sure it's not too hot when you put it on them, as their fragile skin may burn more easily. Also, give the person a cup of warm tea to help heat them up from the inside.
Don’t sit them directly in front of a fan, air conditioning duct, or near a draft unless the opposite is happening and they are too hot.
It’s essential to be attentive to whether they seem too hot or cold, even if they can’t verbally express it themselves.
Katya De Luisa, who resides in Costa Rica, is a dementia educator and consultant, writer, and author of "Journey through the Infinite Mind, the science and spirituality of dementia."
Increasing communication and interaction with persons experiencing dementia; learn about dementia, dementia care, consciousness of dementia, spirituality and dementia, and more, in the Dementia Learning Institute.
