My 96 yr old mother lives with us. Her rooms are 80+ degrees. I tell her to put her air on but she said she's fine. I'm afraid of heat stroke.

If you Google "room thermometers showing safe levels" there is a good range of products on the market ranging from cheap'n'cheerful to hi-tech with all the bells'n'whistles. Pick one that you think she'll find visually appealing and give it a go; and at the same time make sure there's nothing to create a draft on her skin - it could be that she's just very sensitive to that and it makes her feel uncomfortable. What clothing does she generally prefer to wear?

Went looking online & found articles that say range between 86-79 F (20-26 C) is recommended for aged care homes. 75-76 (24 C) would be nice & warm, just right. Set it there & cover the controls somehow. (Same as you'd have to do for young children). Safety first. Real temp before *perceived* temp. Tell her it's illegal to cook old people 😜

Dress & undress in a warmer room. Then keep Mother warm with warm footwear, wooly hat & cardigan. Maybe she could do some gentle seated exercises if she cools down eg wrist flex, arm bends, calf raise & foot flexes to move her blood around for extra circulation. Or if less able, add a cosy knee rug.

She isn’t able to understand now what you’re telling her. She’s making bad decisions. Time for you to take charge and make sure she has air temp that doesn’t harm her. If she’s cold, she can wear a soft sweater or shawl. She can wear warm socks. No point in arguing with her, just make the comfortable things available and if you have to, put the socks on her feet yourself.

My dad was always super cold. We had to tell him, ‘Dad, we are suffocating in here!’

I gave him sweaters, warm blankets, warm socks, etc. for birthdays and Christmas.

My mom was always burning up. Daddy couldn’t seem to ever warm up.

I don’t know what the answer is except to stop her from being able to set the temperature.

My 96yo MIL is always cold! Since your profile says she. has dementia, how about just putting it on for her? Don't make it really cold, maybe 76? Try to make sure it's not blowing on her which she might not like.

Yeah, my mom had a stroke, although her doctor warned her that sitting in high temperatures was bad for her health.

Other than taking away her ability to regulate her own environment and encouraging her to wear long underwear and a knit cap, I don't think there is a good solution.

My mom was much better (post stroke) in a NH where the temperature was centrally controlled. She wore warmer clothes.