I know it's rather impossible to explain something to a dementia patient, but the heating / cooling issue is driving everyone (including the AL staff) up the wall. So Dad can NOT understand the concept of a thermostat. We've tried that and failed, but he gets unreasonably cold and it effects everything. His comfort level is about 81 degrees year round. The ALF has thermostat type heat in the wall (like hotels), but Dad refuses to turn it on because it releases cold air when it first comes on. Instead, he tries to heat the room with a ceramic space heater that's turned all the way up and blowing directly on him. Not only is this essentially against the rules, but it doesn't work well when the temperature dips. Such is the case the past couple of days. The space heater just isn't enough to keep the room warm, and with it blowing full blast all day long, it shuts off to keep from overloading the electrical circuits and causing a fire. The result... Dad complaining about being too cold to EVERYONE. He then will have the staff to keep turning the larger unit on and off repeatedly in 10 minute intervals until they tell him they won't be able to keep coming back to do it. Dad refuses to use an electric blanket (scared his legs will catch on fire), or wear anything outside of his Members Only jacket from the 80's, so layering isn't the answer. The ALF won't allow him to add another space heater -- especially since he refuses to use the perfectly working heater in the room... What else is there? Did I mention that this goes the other way during the summer? We went to the hospital at least 3 times last summer because he insisted on keeping the large unit off in 95 degree temperatures which led him to overheat.
If the ceramic heater is a problem, I would remove it and say the AL doesn't allow them. I understand the assistants at the AL don't want to come back every few minutes to deal with the thermostat. I imagine they deal with this with many of the residents. What FreqFlyer mentioned is the best idea. Do you think your father would remember to wear warm clothes and tuck in his shirt? I haven't been able to deal well with my mother's need for heat and cool, since she thinks the thermostat is the answer to the problems.
Also, my Dad liked wearing flannel shirts as sweaters, and it was best to get one size larger to make it easier to put on. Anything one has to tussle with to put on won't get worn.
Dad wasn't much on putting a blanket over himself when in his recliner, and we did solve the problem of the ceiling register blowing cold air out and bouncing off the wall onto his recliner. The maintenance man was able to close one side of that large ceiling register.
Any place that has a heat pump, it is chilly when the unit comes on, blowing that colder air until the unit heats up.
And silk underwear. Pricey but brilliant, and surprisingly robust in the laundry.
He thinks long underwear are itchy so he probably won't wear them. He has a couple of blankets already, but I will try to leave a couple more around.
As for getting them to adjust the temperature when he's not looking, it's futile. He feels that initial cold air and goes bananas. Besides, on the rare occasions that we've been able to "sneak" the unit on at a decent midrange, Dad gets too hot which exacerbates his COPD and that leads to a panic attack.
I may try to redirect the airflow somehow from the larger unit. When seated, that cold air from the heating/cooling unit can blow right in Dad's face. Maybe I can put a guard or something over the vent to direct the air upward and outward.
It's such a test of my patience. He was complaining about being cold again tonight, but he had the staff to turn off the big unit and had the ceramic heater turned off. It's 20 degrees tonight!!!