My sister-in-law set it at 68 so my mother-in-law says she’s always cold inside. She wears sweaters and I tell her to raise the thermostat to 74 but she said my sister-in-law said germs will grow. I know germs grow in warmth but it’s a home, not a surgical room. Shouldn’t she be comfortable and not cold in her own home?
As some said, warm socks will help. The reason we get cold as we get older is because 1) we lose our subcutaneous layer of fat, 2) our blood becomes thin because we are not eating enough protein and calories in general, and of lack of exercise, 3) our skin becomes thin due to aging skin cells and not enough subcutaneous layer of fat!
Being cold all the time can be cause by a number of things, normal aging, heart problems, anemia, medications and some treatments for cancer. I would talk to her Dr if you have any concerns.
I keep my temp at 69! My mother has flannel pjs and warm fuzzy socks and she seem fine! Although everybody is different on what they feel comfortable at.
But MIL should have some say at what the thrermostat is set at. Maybe find a common ground!
I use to grumble about germs at my parent's house, but they had the heat jacked up to 82-85. Mom was still dressed like she was on her way to the North Pole, and Dad was dressed like he was ready for a swim at the beach. It was like walking into a huge hot flash :P
One thing I did learn about keeping warm, tuck in that shirt into one's pants... it makes a huge difference. Even with pj's at night, tuck in the top. And like MargaretMcKen had posted, bed socks.
I had thermostat wars at work until I found if I closed the air vents in my office it helped in winter, and I made sure the air vents were opened in my boss' office. He likes it toasty, while I prefer a frost coating. Vise versa in the summer.