Alzheimhers and a heatwave!

[totallyconfused]

So Ireland is experiencing heatwave conditions-30 degrees or more expected this week.Already my mother is struggling.

She says shes cold but shes boiling up. Shes very attached to her winter cardigans and slow to remove them. We brought various summer clothes-lighter trousers etc but she sticks with jeans and her winter shoes.

Yesterday my sister left early as she thought my mother was extra tired/confused. She didn't want to take off her cardigan even though she was boiling up. She may have had some heat stress? heat exhaustion?

She has the cardigan on this morning again saying shes cold. We have a fan, will open windows, stay in between 11-3pm, we got a sun umbrella so we could use that, she is drinking water but is annoyed after a while by us giving her another glass, she loves ice cream so plenty of that.

You cant help but worry in this weather. Im hoping it doesn't reach 30. I'll struggle with that myself.

 

[nae sporran]

I always joke that it is only a heatwave when C starts to feel the heat, but that complaint of being warm while thinking she is cold is a worry. Would your mum drink appletiser or something light with a straw, totallyconfused ? You can only put the light clothes out and hope she starts to accept them. Good luck, it is going to get worse by the weekend.

 

[lemonjuice]

This is a difficult one and I think it's because sometimes their brain no longer recognises /differentiates between cold/hot.

Remember too that their 'words' may not indicate actual truth. At one point my mother could no longer differentiate between Yes and No. Some days she used Yes all the time and others No, but answers bore no relation to what she really wanted. On 'probing a bit' I could usually find out which one she meant. Also I found if I gave her a choice, it was always the last one she chose. Not because she wanted that but being the last one was easiest to 'remember' and she just repeated the last option.
Your mother's preference for cardis may be more to do with 'security', a bit like a toddler with a treasured toy/ security blanket. If it were me I would try and get some cotton cardis. In fact ensure everything she wears is cotton/ linen / natural fibres.They cause less sweating.

Is she still 'aware' enough to just put on a cardi over a vest with her jeans? Or would that be a no-no?

 

[canary]

My mum was also attached to her cardigans. I wondered whether it was because she disliked the feel of air on her skin

 

[j.s.king]

My mum was also attached to her cardigans. I wondered whether it was because she disliked the feel of air on her skin

My dad is firmly attached to his fleece lined woolly hat which he wears day and night , even in this heat!

 

[Batsue]

It is 26 degrees here and mum is insisting on wearing a long sleeved vest with a fleece jumper over it, if I open a window she complains about a draft.

 

[lemonjuice]

It is 26 degrees here and mum is insisting on wearing a long sleeved vest with a fleece jumper over it, if I open a window she complains about a draft.

Reading this reminds me of one of my aunts (I had 3 with dementia ), who was always complaining of a draft. Along with her early loss of taste and smell, I do wonder if those were early indications of her dementia?

 

[totallyconfused]

My mother agreed to wear these new cotton trousers we got for her. Much better than denim! Shes finding buttons and zips very hard so think we need to find some elasticated pants maybe,

She's drinking water and some apple juice. We have the fan on, most windows open but we are closely monitoring her. She is extra tired and confused and a tad more agitated. Shes suffering a bit of constipation which is bothering her.

These extreme weathers are difficult. She seemed genuinely scared of the snow we got there in March. She was wondering where her garden went.

The most horrible, unpredictable disease.

 

[lemonjuice]

My mother agreed to wear these new cotton trousers we got for her. Much better than denim! Shes finding buttons and zips very hard so think we need to find some elasticated pants maybe,

That's positive. My mother had always been a very smart lady and rarely wore trousers, but as her illness worsened we ended up buying elasticated skirts and later elasticated leisure trousers for her. Which her 'earlier self' would have been horrified by. Even worse because of being unable to move herself and yet being fed well by the staff she put on a lot of weight ending up with a 44" waist and I often had to buy men's leisure trousers for her. Oh the indignity of it!

 

[Lankymad]

If someone is not on the move, ie confined to a chair, the heat shouldn't be much of a problem r/e clothing as long as they are taking plenty of fluid, water's best and avoid caffine and alcohol. Clothing can act as a block to the heat, think of a cat's fur! Obviously the coolest room in the house or in the shade, but with the elderly circulation problems (like my late dad) meant they very rarely feel the heat; and what's warm to us is cool to them (it took about 27c for my dad to take his coat off outside...).

 

[lemonjuice]

with the elderly circulation problems (like my late dad) meant they very rarely feel the heat; and what's warm to us is cool to them (it took about 27c for my dad to take his coat off outside...).

With my m-i-l, who although she didn't suffer from Dementia was barely more than skin and bones always felt the cold and used to wear 5 layers even in the height of summer and unless it was 30 degrees inside, always grumbled she was 'freezing!