The Ideal Room Temperature For The Elderly
The average room temperature for a normal human being is 370C. However, the room temperature specifications vary with age, gender and health status of an individual. According to research, the ideal room temperature for the elderly people is estimated to be 36.10C. Any temperature much warmer or colder than the given value may affect them negatively. Therefore, I will herein discuss different ways on how to maintain the ideal room temperature in elderly people’s bedrooms.
Dressing Warmly
The clothes we put on determine how warm we are. Have you ever tried to put on two thin cardigans and compare the warmth you feel with when you put on a single thick cardigan? According to science, it is advisable to dress elderly people with many thin layered clothes as opposed to one thick clothing. This is because many thin layered clothes trap more warm air close to the body. Woolly clothes and thermal clothing also serve the same purpose to keep the elderly warm.
Bedrooms are known to be the coldest rooms in a house and the floor may be way too cold for elderly people. It is advisable that they put on a pair of socks on their feet to keep their toes warm when walking around. It is said that most heat is lost through the head and the neck and in order to get rid of that, elderly people should put on a scarf and a hat when indoors in a chilly weather.
Design Of The House
In order to keep warm, an elderly person’s house ought to be well insulated. The walls should be resistant to heat loss so as to maintain enough heat in the rooms. Curtains should be drawn the moment it gets dark to prevent heat from escaping and cold air flowing in. It is recommended that the minimum room temperature for a bedroom should be 180C. Therefore, heating systems should be installed in a house and turned on to ensure there is enough warmth as required. However, they should be checked regularly and turned off when necessary to avoid extreme temperatures in the house.
Keeping The Bed Warm
The bed is well known as the main asset in a bedroom. In a chilly weather especially during winter, beds tend to be too cold hence mechanisms to warm them have to be applied in order to make them comfortable for elderly people to sleep in.
Electric blankets can be used and they should be checked regularly to see if they are worn out. There are water bottles specially designed to provide warmth in the bed and they should be put into use. However, great care should be taken when using electric devices to provide warmth for the elderly because they might not be conversant with the operation of the devices and in case of a fault, their safety may be at a risk.
To ensure safe operation of these devices, proper maintenance should be done twice a year to ensure that they are in a good working condition.
When going to bed, it is advisable that we ensure they put on warm clothes like a thermal underwear, a hat and bed socks. The beddings they use should be warm enough and able to retain heat throughout the night.
Moving Around
Walking generates heat. Since during cold seasons elderly people can hardly step out of the house for a walk, we should give them small duties which will make them move around the house. We can give them house chores to do and send them to get snacks from the kitchen.
Eating Healthy
There are plenty of healthy foods and drinks recommended by experts which are able to keep the body warm for a long time. To keep the elderly people’s energy levels up, we should give them plenty of fruits and vegetables during the day. Similarly, giving them one hot meal in a day and plenty of drinks serves the same purpose.
We should always ensure there is a flask with hot water or hot ginger tea throughout the day which is accessible to them whenever they need to warm up their bodies with a drink. Generally, proper diet should be the first priority when feeding an elderly person because it majorly aids in maintaining their ideal room temperature
Read more: Tips To Improve Senior Sleep By Reducing Pain And Discomfort
Keeping Their Minds Active
During winter seasons, it is hard for elderly people to go out and interact socially with people. In order to maintain an ideal room temperature for them, engaging them in social activities within the house like playing mind games and telling stories keeps their minds active and they shun away boredom. This way, they can’t concentrate on the cold weather.
Finally
Ensuring there is ideal room temperature for elderly people is a responsibility we should all take up because these are special people in our lives who need special care. Exposing them to very cold temperatures makes them susceptible to infections and makes them uncomfortable. We should always strive to keep them warm in all situations and ensure their bedrooms are warm enough because that is where they spend most of their time.
I hope you enjoyed reading my article. Did you find the article useful? Please share your views in the comments section below and share the article with a friend and let us spread awareness on how to keep our elderly relatives and friends warm.
Leave a Reply