From Winter Wonderland to Just Plain Cold

When I was a youngster, I loved visiting my grandparents during the winter. There was always a lot of snow and my siblings, cousins and I would play outside for as long as we were allowed. The folks would slap a sock cap on our heads and make sure we wore a pair of woolen mittens and any available coat, then off we would go. I can remember enjoying it, but I can’t really remember getting cold. We usually came in when our cheeks and fingers were completely numb, but not before.

Things have changed, to say the least. I now own every thermal-lined article of clothing known to mankind. If it’s cold enough, I have been known to wear gloves to get the mail, and the letter box is on my front porch. Yes, winter weather no longer provides the joyful playground of my youth.

My grandmother lived with my aunt and cousin until she was in her 90s. I remember the “thermostat wars” every winter. Grandma was never warm enough and would flip the thermostat up to 85. My aunt would be roasting to death, as she would say, and turn the thermostat down to 65 degrees. This drama played out repeatedly until the first warm days of spring.

So what happens to transform cold-tolerant kids into shivering adults? Dr. Stephen Belgrave is a medical director here at Health Alliance Medicare and a family practice physician. He puts it this way. “Peripheral vascular disease affects many of our older patients. There can be a reduced capacity for circulation, and this often affects temperature sensations. It’s important to protect older people from extremes in temperature because of these types of sensory deficits.”

Ah, there you have it. It seems I now qualify as an “older patient,” but the question is, what can caregivers do to help accommodate their mature friends and family members? Here are a few suggestions:

 Be more tolerant when someone complains about being uncomfortable. Even if you think the temperature is cozy and perfect, that may not be true for older people.

 Make sure your loved ones have adequate protection from the elements when they go outside. Check if they have a cold-weather emergency kit in their car. If they don’t, it makes a great gift.

 Offer rides (in your preheated car) to the store, appointments and for other errands during the colder months. Removing snow and warming up a car can present serious hurdles to older adults and people with peripheral vascular disease.

 Try to reach a temperature compromise if you share your home or workplace with an older person. Do not engage in thermostat wars. I can advise you from personal experience that there is never a winner.