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Senior Care For Winter

By Mark Etinger

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 05Feb2012 Word count: 444 Viewed: 50 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

Both infants and the elderly have difficulty regulating their body temperatures and are thus susceptible to changes in the weather. As such, is very important that you and your childcare provider or senior caregiver maintain a consistent, moderate temperature indoors and bundle up the child or elderly person when he goes outside.

Newborn infants are unable to control their body temperatures; although they are able to sweat, their personal thermostats reflect environments. Therefore, during the winter, their temperatures are liable to drop if they are not properly insulated. When you or your childcare provider takes out your baby, you need to make sure that your baby is wearing the appropriate layers of clothing underneath his snowsuit. Keep his head covered, and if he is riding in a stroller, pull the sun visor down to protect him from the frigid air.

Perhaps as evidence of the circle of life, the elderly are also more susceptible to temperature fluctuations. They, too, have trouble regulating their body temperatures. They feel both cold and heat very strongly and may be noticeably affected by extreme temperatures. Generally, in cold climates, the elderly are going to complain of being cold and you or the senior caregiver will be able to act accordingly; if your elderly relative still complains of the cold, check to see if he is dehydrated. One of the ways dehydration may present is with a body temperature that is too cold or too hot.

Like a very small child, an elderly adult may have difficulty expressing that they are cold or hot, especially if he has dementia, so you and the senior caregiver need to look for certain indicators. If he starts asking about open windows or doors, even if none are ajar, or if he starts complaining about a draft that neither you nor the aide can detect, he is probably trying to express that he is cold. Make sure that your elderly relative has a warm wardrobe for winter; basic pieces should be made from cashmere, wool, and other warm fabrics. Keep a throw blanket on the back of his favorite chair, so that he may tuck that around his lap. You may also turn up the heat on the thermostat, but you should try the other options before resorting to this method, since it may result in a high energy bill. Additionally, you want to make sure that neither you nor the senior caregiver makes your elderly relative in an effort to keep him warm. Elderly people do not sweat, so you may need to listen for verbal clues and check to see if their cheeks become suddenly very rosy.

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