3 Tips for Helping A Person Living with Dementia Who Feels Cold

By Valerie Feurich, Positive Approach to Care Team Member

Have you ever felt terribly hot, while a person living with dementia near you was freezing? The person may have even had perspiration on their head or forehead, but was still telling you that they felt cold.

It is very common for people living in the mid to later stages of dementia to feel cold. As a care partner, it can be confusing when you’re sweating, but the person in your care says they’re feeling chilly.

So, what can you do to make the person feel comfortable when the room is already hot and they may be wearing multiple layers of clothing? To help you help them, let’s start with why they’re feeling cold.

How Dementia Affects A Person’s Temperature Regulation

Human beings have a system within the core of their brain called autoregulation, which regulates core blood flow, blood flow into the periphery, and other important physical tasks. As dementia attacks the brain and causes chemical and physical changes, it also affects the person’s autoregulation system.