As the temperature drops so the central heating battle begins....
As soon as the leaves start leaving the trees Mum starts to feel a little cold indoors.
First step is to break out the winter quilt.
Lovely and warm, thank you.
Then find a jumper or two and convince her to wear them.
Oh thats much better, thank you
Convince her to stop wearing sandals and try shoes and socks.
Thats lovely, thankyou.
We manage to achieve the gradual change from summer to winter relatively smoothly till the inevitable happens......The heating has to go on.
This causes a real problem. If the radiators are cold then so is Mum.
No matter what the ambient temperature may be, one touch of a cold radiator and in her mind the house is at sub-zero.
The thermostat is now set to gas mark 9. We cannot leave the toilet seats up as the water evaporates and causes clouds over the landing and toilet duck rain to cascade down the stairs. Eggs can be fried on the kitchen worktops and at night the house has a cheery glow reminiscent of the old ready brek adverts.
Roll on spring for "Ooooh its a little warm isnt it?"
Don't worry - it's an old people's thing. We are all the same, you just wait a few years......
ReplyDeleteI find your blog really insightful from a carers point of view. I'm a newly qualified psychiatric nurse and really enjoy caring for people suffering with dementia, and believe they can have a good quality of life despite their illness. You sound to be doing just this - keep it up :)
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