Dressing Tips for Adult Care

Physical appearance is important to everyone's sense of self-esteem. However, for the person with developmental delays or aging issues putting on clothing can be frustrating. You need to manage dressing difficulties one-by-one. A person might have problems dressing because of: physical problems (balance or motor skills); intellectual problems (does the person remember how to dress, recognize his/her clothes or the seasons of the year?); environment (privacy, cold room, lighting, loud noises) or other concerns (pressure to dress quickly, embarrassment).

Here are some dressing strategies:

Medical/Physical:

• Have the person undergo a good medical work-up to discover any possible causes or medication reactions contributing to problems with dressing.

• Check for vision impairment and have glasses checked.

• Check for depression, especially if the person is frequently unwilling to get up or dressed in the morning.

Environmental:

• Make sure the room is warm enough for the person. Some people have different temperature needs. What you may feel as too hot or too cold may feel perfect to someone else.

• Provide adequate bedroom lighting. Provide a light in the closet at the same intensity as the light in the room, then the person won’t have to get used to different light levels.

• Close the door and pull down blinds to create a feeling privacy.

• Keep the bedroom free of clutter or of the appearance that things are out of place. Put away rarely worn or out-of-season clothes to make selection easier.

• Choose a place for the person to dress (to prepare for the day) and a different place for the person to undress (to get ready for bed). Try to use these same spots every time the person dresses and undresses.

Choose practical clothing and footwear:

• Select clothing that is washable and doesn't need ironing.

• Choose clothes that fit comfortably. Purchase clothes one size larger to put on and take off easier. Tightly fitting blouses may be very difficult to put on. Stiffness and muscle tension can make dressing very difficult and also be irritating to wear.

• Buttons, snaps, hooks, zippers and belt buckles may be too difficult to manage. Replace with velcro tape.

• When buying new clothing, choose clothes with simple patterns. Bright, busy patterns can be distracting. Also, select solid contrasting colors as these tend to be easier for older people to distinguish.

• To avoid tripping and falling, make sure that the clothing length is appropriate. Make sure that trousers or robes aren't too long. This might cause the person to trip or clothing might get caught in the spokes of a wheelchair.

• Try using cardigans, and other garments with front openings, rather than pullovers.

• Try jogging suits can be easy to get into and out of. They are also warm, good looking and easy to care for.

• Slip-on shoes are easier to put on than shoes with laces or ties. Make sure the shoes have non-skid soles. Tennis shoes with velcro closures are also washable.

Clothing:

• Encourage person to select his/her own clothes, but make it simple. For example, offer two outfits to choose between. Ask the person if she/he wants to wear a white blouse or a pink one. It may be too difficult to make even these simple decisions.

• Label dresser drawers describing their contents (Shirts, underwear, socks) or items that are the same color and go together (eg. blue shirt, blue sweater and blue socks).

• Hang ties, belts or other accessories on hanger with the matching dress or shirt.

• Lay articles of clothing out in sequence on the bed. Arrange in the order that they are to be put on. For example, shoes might be on the bottom with stockings inside, and the dress, slip, bra and underpants on top of each other. Make sure that all articles of clothing are right side out.

• Try putting a poster on the wall above the person's bed and above the laid out clothes. If the person is no longer able to read, use pictures of items of clothing to remind the person of what to put on next. The poster could list the sequence of clothing. For example:- underpants - bra  - stockings - dress

• Try laying out lightly colored clothing on a dark bedspread. For someone with visual problems, contrasting colours may help distinguish articles of clothing from the background color of the bedspread.

Choosing clothing:

• Select clothing that is washable and doesn't need ironing.

• Choose clothes that fit comfortably. Stiffness and muscle tension can make dressing very difficult. Try purchasing clothes that are one size larger.

• Try using suspenders or pants with elastic waistbands.

• Try tube socks, which are easier to put on because they don't have heels. Try short cotton socks, knee high or thigh high stockings. Panty hose are difficult to put on. Stockings with garters and knee highs with wide elastic bands may be bad for people with circulation problems.

• Consider buying T-shirts. They tend to look okay even if worn backwards.

• Try slip-on blouses, wrap-around or elastic waistband skirts or slacks.

• Consider using a cotton vest if person has a lot of difficulty with putting on a bra.

• Avoid using a slip (petticoat) unless person feels uncomfortable without it.

• For a woman who is used to wearing necklaces each day, a simple choice of long beads of pearls which can be twisted to double with no clasps can preserve self-esteem.

Routine and selection:

• Keep the morning routine and avoid delays or interruptions. Help the person to eat breakfast, wash and dress in the same order that the person has done these activities throughout his/her life.

• Show the person the dress or shirt he/she is going to wear when introducing the idea of dressing.

One Step at a Time:

• Do only one step at a time. Do not group or combine several small steps together, the person may not be able to do two or three steps at one time. For example, putting on a pair of underpants may be complex –  You must distinguish the front from the back, you must get them into both feet, and pulls them up to the waist.

Communication Ideas:

• Speak in a calm, friendly tone of voice.

• Use short words and short, simple sentences. Avoid complicated phrases.

• Use very specific concrete verbal and visual cues. For example: “Here are your blue pants,” while pointing to the pants on the bed.

• Give praise and encouragement as the person completes the steps of the task. A warm “good” or  “you are doing well” let the person know they are succeeding.

• Be careful not to talk down to the person or treat them like children. They are adults, entitled to be treated with dignity and respect.

Other Considerations:

• A generation ago many people did not change their clothes as often as they do today. It is important not to impose our values about how often we change our clothes on those for whom we are caring. For example, is it vital to change into night clothes when going to bed? Does it really matter if mother goes to bed in her dress.

• Being reminded to change your clothes can be embarrassing and humiliating. Recognize these feeling possibilities if there is some resistance to getting dressed.

• Sometimes it takes more time to assist the person with getting dressed, rather than doing it yourself, but the extra time is well worth it. Being able to dress one's self can make a person feel less dependent and can also enhance feelings of pride and self-esteem.

• Some people want to wear the same outfit everday and refuse to consider any variation. Don't argue with the person (even though this may be irritating). Instead, buy a couple of outfits just like it.

• Some people undress themselves frequently. This can be embarrassing and inconvenient, but it is important to remember that they do not understand what is appropriate, and usually are not doing this to be provocative. Evaluate each situation:

  • - Is this person dressed too warmly?

  • - Does he/she need to go to the bathroom?

  • - Is he/she tired and trying to get ready for bed?

  • - Is he/she bored?

If this is a problem, try putting clothes on backwards, or purchasing clothing that is difficult to remove, such as jump suits that fasten at the back.

Source: Adapted from HelpNotes  of The Alzheimer's Association South Australia.