Dressing inappropriately for the heat

[Zenana]

An elderly couple have just got on the same bus as me. It's like a greenhouse. The man is wearing a suit with jacket underneath which is a shirt, tie and handknit (therefore quite thick) jumper.

Do elderly people feel cold at these temperatures or is it an old fashioned thiregardkng, how they'd dress in the 1940s regardless of temperature?

My grandmother was always cold as she got older (had anaemia too, which exacerbated it). We would sit out in the garden, full sunshine beating down, and she'd be in full dress with cardigan and a wool blanket over her bottom half.

I'd assume they were going out somewhere, and still used to 'dressing nicely' for a meal or event, whether they're slightly too warm or not.

I visited my grandparents yesterday when it was 30° here and grandad was moaning he was chilly with the windows open and fan on and wearing a jumper. Gran was in a nice sundress though so I think it varies, but I do think you typically feel cold a lot more when you're older.

Older people are often like that. I worked as a carer for many years, and used to go to elderly people who had all the windows shut in this kind of weather. I've even been to one od 2 people who had the hearing on in summer! It used to be unbearable for me.

30° in my car yesterday and DD13 refused to take her blazer off, despite my insisting that she must be ready to burst into flames.

Some people just don't seem to be affected by it.

My Dad has dementia, early stages, and one of the side effects is inability to regulate his temperature. He is freezing cold all the time. He's been like it for a while but it's so noticeable now as we are all baking and he's under a blanket. He's 65 ☹️

My 90 year old DM feels the cold terribly sue to thyroid problems

But my long dead grandfather would rather have been seen dead than be seen without a shirt and tie on even the hottest day, even at home. And always his jacket if he went out. He always wore a vest.

This thread made me think of Kate Middleton in a wool coatdress in Wales yesterday. All the bystanders were in summer clothes. Odd. Camilla was in a perfectly nice summer dress for church which seemed more sensible.

Everyone feels the heat differently. I tend to be able to have bare legs or go coat-free in winter because I don’t feel the cold easily. But that does mean I get extra hot in a heatwave as I must just naturally have a higher body temperature. I’m currently contemplating what to wear out today as I already feel hot in a silk dressing gown!

Yep - there's nowt so queer as folk! Some people do really feel the cold, although post-menopausal women often say they're always hot, rather than the opposite. My grandad was very much a suit and tie man (even if he was just at home), but on hot days even he would break out a short-sleeved shirt to wear with his trousers (never shorts!).

My teen is boiling currently in his blazer and school trousers. He gets in and strips down to his underwear immediately. I'm forever tripping over piles of damp school uniform!

I see less elderly people dressing inappropriately in the heat compared to the young males in their zipped up, very long puffer coats with the hoods up walking around. Funnily enough the females of the same age tend to wear hardly anything.

And yes, I saw two separate males wearing that coat this morning.

thiregardkng? 🤔

My grandparents used to have their thermostat cranked up to 30°C+, and have the gas fire on in the winter. In summer, they managed with only the central heating 😳😂

When we went to visit, we all had to go and stand outside periodically to avoid passing out. It was like the tropical house at the zoo, except I think the animals would have complained about the excessive heat 🥵 😂

It's not just older people, I think some people dress for fashion/the season rather than the weather. A woman came into my work the other day in jeans, boots and a velvet jacket. It was 30 degrees out and I was in a sundress - she must've been sweltering.

My grandad had a "gardening" suit, complete with jacket and tie!

Just helped an elderly man with his bag of Tesco shopping; I could see he was making very little progress with that and his walking stick, and asked if he wanted help.

Chatted as we walked to his flat and I asked why he was wearing a winter coat. (It was massive and definitely impeding progress, and it’s 30 degrees). Not that I said any of that.

He said it was because he had a short sleeve shirt underneath and didn’t want to get sunburned.

As you age your bodies metabolic rate slows down, as a result your body generates less heat. So most old people will feel cold in much higher temperatures than they would have done when younger.

My grandma lived in Australia and would have her gas fire going even in the height of summer - her house was like an oven

I think you do (as a general rule) feel the cold more as you get older.

I thought that when I saw Kate too.

I was editing and my phone went weird. I was writing "regardless" and it ended up in the middle of the word "thing" and now I can't edit it!

Does he have heart issues? My dad had heart failure and became cold 24/7

She might have sweat patches under her arms.
Some people are very self conscious about this.

Imagine what it was like for the coal miners

My husband is 79. I have the front window and the back door open to get some air through, and he needs a jumper and a fleece over his legs! When we go out he definitely needs a jumper with him, even in the hot weather, and he finds air conditioned shops very cold.

I'm still seeing people in puffa jackets and hoodie.

They must be boiling

It's not that hot really though is it?