5 Assistive Clothing Examples That Can Help Elderly People

Buttons and domes are tricky enough with full hand dexterity, so it’s unsurprising that these would be a problem for someone with mobility impairment.

As an alternative that makes removal as straightforward as a gentle pull and fastening a matter of proximity, assistive clothing manufacturers have adopted the technique of using magnets to fasten clothing openings. For example, the standard work shirt or blouse will have magnetic sections under the fabric, and the user simply needs to generally locate and align each side of the garment to fasten it closed.

Some brands who produce these shirts may retain the visual appearance of buttons or domes outwardly and simply add in the magnetic component underneath; helping the wearer enjoy the convenience of accessible clothing without sacrificing design.

This magnetic system can also be found on some pants with the same idea – remove the difficulty of a small zipper or buttons but retain the function of fastening.

Elastic waisted pants are commonplace on the average tracksuit, and in many younger children’s clothing, but for someone with mobility impairment, this system is excellent for any everyday pants, too.

A challenge that many elderly with movement restrictions experience is getting pants on in the morning – with a standard pair of pants there may be little give, meaning that negotiating these on needs some accuracy and coordination. Even if a carer or partner is assisting, the process can be cumbersome.

 

Then when it comes time to take the pants down or off for toileting or bathing, standard pants’ lack of flexibility can slow the process down – which isn’t ideal in moments where time is of the essence.

Instead of coping with these restrictions, many clothing manufacturers are designing fashion-forward jeans, chinos, slacks, trousers and suit pants with elastic waist-bands. All of the appearance and function of those various pant styles is retained, with the waistband simply made from elastic materials for convenience. Many of these pants may also have a stretchy material built into the entire garment, making the feet, lower and upper legs easy to manoeuvre around in everyday wear or putting on and off.

Don’t think that elastic waist bands automatically means a track suit pants (not that these aren’t a good option on occasion!). Some online research and reading up on reviews should give you more than a few options to try that may become mainstays of your wardrobe, ready for any event life may bring.

The idea of the open back shirt is to reduce the amount of upper body stretching and straining when pulling on or taking off the shirt. With an opening at the front of a shirt, the wearer needs a certain degree of mobility to position their arms and shoulders to take this off or put it on.

When an accessible clothing style shirt is made with a back opening, be it buttons, magnets or domes, a carer can help the individual get dressed or undressed without any of this straining required. The arm position to get an open back shirt on can be straight and forward-facing, an action that’s typically more straight forward for someone with mobility challenges than a typical shirt.

 

Even easier still is the action of removing the shirt – a carer simply helps release the back opening and the shirt will come away from the front in a quick moment. These shirts aren’t just good for seniors with mobility impairment, but anyone recovering from an injury with broken arms.

These open back shirts may also come in a style that only allows for a carer to take off or put on. For any individuals who experience dementia or Alzheimers and struggle with inadvertent undressing, this shirt style can be a real advantage for the carer and individual alike.

There’s many scenarios in which mobility prevents one’s ability to quickly remove pants, even with a flexible waist or stretchy material. The quickest way to get pants off is often not pulling them off, but zipping them completely open from the sides.

This style of pants make accessibility very quick in terms of removal and toilet usage or cleanup – the carer or even the individual if they’re able simply zips down the length of the leg. The carer may then pull them off the feet once zipped down far enough or zip off both sides entirely so that two separate pieces (front and back) are left. If the individual can’t or shouldn’t move their legs for any reason (such as in a stage of rehabilitation), these side zip pants can be removed while remaining in a static seated position. These pants are also reasonably easy to put back on by a carer, allowing the individual with mobility impairment to sit down on the back section, and have the front piece zipped on with no exertion or movement needed.

 

Much like the magnetic fasteners and open back shirts, there are many different clothing styles available with the same side zip functionality. So for a senior with mobility concerns who wants variety in their wardrobe, there should be a reasonable selection at their disposal. We’d suggest going online first to work out where and what kinds of side zip pants you can find.

Velcro, an invention from Swiss engineer George de Mestral in the 1950s made a huge impact in clothing as an easy way to fasten fabrics – not to mention being adopted in countless applications across many other industries.

The British-based company’s ‘hook and loop fastener’ invention has in the past been very popular within young children and elderly where coordination and strength may be lacking to easily wear laced shoes. But velcro fastened shoes have also been popular in sports and lifestyle shoes across all demographics, thanks to their convenience.

For a senior who experiences trouble getting shoes on and off, velcro based footwear is a smart choice. The way shoes are fastened with velcro may vary (such as a one-strip on one side design, or one strip on both side design), but the general functionality and benefits are the same for all velcro-fastened shoes. With velcro shoes being popular for decades, the choices for elderly looking to get a pair are plentiful – visit your local shoe stores or search for the exact style you want online.

If velcro isn’t quite right for what you need, and a carer is available to help, zip off accessible shoes are another option to look at. Some of these have shoe uppers that zip off entirely around the shoe, meaning no pulling on the foot whatsoever is needed.