6 Tips to Help a Loved One with Dressing

If a loved one we are helping is having trouble manipulating buttons or zippers, or is finding it difficult to maintain their balance when dressing, it may be time to for us to assist them with getting dressed. Here are some tips we can use to help us aid our loved ones with dressing, while also helping them maintain a sense of independence.

1.    We can start by helping our loved ones retain their personal sense of style and taste in clothing. It may be a little bit easier for us to help them slide into a pair of sweatpants, but if they have never owned a pair, they probably don't want to start now. Unless there is a medically indicated reason, we shouldn’t push our personal preferences or styles onto our loved ones.

2.    Our loved one should be allowed to dress themselves as much as possible, and we should only step in to assist when needed. It might take a little longer, but it will help them retain a sense of independence and will help keep the situation from becoming stressful or confrontational.

3.    If our loved ones suffers from arthritis in their hands, or is less nimble in their fingers, they may have trouble with buttons or zippers. These can be replaced with Velcro, which will allow our loved ones to continue self-dressing for a bit longer. Elastic waist bands make pants easier to put on. V-neck sweaters or a cardigan also are easier to slip on than a crewneck sweater.

4.    If a loved one has dementia, they may have some trouble with decision making. Rather than asking "what do you want to wear today?", we should give limited options, such as "do you want to wear the blue shirt or the yellow shirt today?". This also eliminates the option of our loved one choosing to stay in pajamas when they need to get dressed.

5.    It's a little harder to put the second arm into a shirt or jacket, so we should be sure to start with a loved one's weaker arm. That way, we avoid putting too much stress on the weak arm. When removing the shirt or jacket, we should conversely start with the stronger arm.

6.    If our loved ones wear compression socks, there are some simple tricks to getting them on more easily. First, we can put a hand into the sock until we touch the toe, then turn half of the sock inside out. Then we can place the sock over a loved one's toe and slide the sock over the heel. Last, we can gently slide the rest of the sock up the leg until it's in position. We may find it's easier to get a grip on the sock if we wear rubber gloves.

A version of this article appeared in the Private Health News.