Dressing Seniors with Arthritis: Tips For Caregivers

Over 23% of adults living in the U.S. suffer from arthritis with 1 in 4 adults often being in severe pain because of this issue. Most of the sufferers are those who are above the age of 65. 

Most seniors have a hard time dealing with it so much so that it affects their ability to complete everyday tasks. Even something that might seem as simple as wearing clothes might become a challenge. 

The inability to get dressed gets in the way of their hygiene needs and their desire for social interaction. Caregivers and loved ones often worry about this particular issue, especially when seniors are hesitant to accept help from others. One can help them maintain their independence and make it easier for them to get dressed by being a little mindful when it comes to choosing clothes for men and adaptive dresses for elderly women. Here are some tips: 

1. Look for clothes with wider armholes so that they can slip in their arms easily. Wide-leg pants that fit well and are not too tight will be easier to wear and cause less stress on the affected joints. 
2. When it comes to footwear, compression socks might help to relieve some of the pain. In addition to this, bending down might cause discomfort. So, make sure that you get elastic laces for their shoes instead of ones that need to be tied up.
3. As mobility is hampered when one has chronic arthritis, fastening buttons, and hooks can be a major issue. Adaptive clothing might be extremely helpful in such situations. These have elastics, velcro straps, and more which make it easier for seniors to wrap a piece of clothing around their bodies. Undressing and taking care of their own hygiene also becomes simpler and less time consuming when they don’t have to work their way around buttons. 
4. Pants can be quite difficult to navigate especially if the arthritis is severe While adaptive dresses for elderly ladies are great fashionable and comfortable options, you will also find adaptive clothing choices for men such as pants with overlapping back panels and Velcro-fastened openings on both the legs that can reduce the risk of falls. Ovidis has an exhaustive collection of such outwear and a simple Google search will help you know more about such products. 
5. Those with limited hand dexterity need help with closing zippers. Get a bit creative and add a metal ring to the zippers so that they can simply pull it up or down to get ready. 
6. On the days when they choose conventional clothing, make sure that you have dressing aids close by. For instance, a dressing stick can help them to wear pants independently if they prefer maintaining their privacy. Similarly, stocking donners will help them to wear compression socks by themselves while button hook aids will make doing buttons up easier. 

These are just some of the tips using which you can enhance the quality of the lives of seniors around you. If you are looking for adaptive clothing options for seniors, browse through our comfortable and trendy options today. Have any questions? We’d be glad to answer them. Feel free to call (833) 736-7362 to connect with us!