Page 30 - Changes and Challenges

Dementia
Changes and Challenges
cold. My solution is now to be more cautious in environments where I expect
to encounter heat. For example, around ovens.

However, this is not always practical. I have just conducted a little experiment
using a hand-held infrared thermometer. The outside air temperature
o
o
according to the Bureau of Meteorology is 32 C. My reading is 34 C for the
outside temp 26 C inside. Being a pleasant sunny summers day, I have done
o
all the washing (most things got dry in about 30 minutes). The clothesline is
located on the back lawn and accessed by a 3m concrete path. I have just
taken some temperature readings around there, and the lawn returns a
o
temperature approx. 44 C while the concrete path returns temperatures
o
o
ranging from 54 C to 58 C. The hottest spot coincides with were I stand to
take down the clothes from the line, barefoot. It would normally take three to
five minutes of standing before I begin to notice how hot the concrete is. On
several occasions I have received minor burns on my feet, because I haven’t
sensed the heat until it was too late. I am not, nor ever have, or will ever be in
the habit of putting on shoes to walk the 6 metres to and from the clothesline,
3
nor would I stand on the grass because of the odd bindii .
Recent research conducted at residential facilities suggest that people with
Dementia are less stressed and less agitated in areas that are in the range of
o
o
temperature between 20 C and 23 C. The same research also discovered that
staff performed better under these same conditions.
Thirst and Hunger.
Similarly, a few summers ago I spent about three hours working in the garden.
It was a pleasant day not too hot with temperatures in the low to mid 20’s and
a slight breeze. When I came inside in the late morning, I realized I was not
thirsty. I was conscious that I had been perspiring and should normally be
thirsty. So, I drank some water. It was only as I began to drink that began to
feel thirsty. (I wound up drinking about 1 ½ litres of water).

Likewise, I rarely feel hungry until I begin to eat. This often is a problem
because that feeling of fullness doesn’t occur till well after I’ve eaten. This

3 The Bindii is a small sharp spiked plant that commonly infest lawns and walkways.
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