What is adaptive clothing?

In the health care industry the terms adaptive apparel or adaptive clothing are generally used to describe clothing that has been modified or designed to address specific health problems such as incontinence, limited range of motion, arthritis, edema, etc. 

 Many people find that by adding a just few pieces of adaptive clothing to their wardrobe that it suddenly makes getting dressed and undressed simpler for themselves and their caregivers.  Sometimes it’s simply a matter of replacing buttons with snaps or Velcro for ease.   It can also mean changing the way a garment opens or overlaps to provide easy access while still providing for modesty. 

 In all cases the best adaptive clothing should look and wear like your everyday clothing while offering a solution to a dressing problem.

Below are some problems that we run into daily.

I’m unable to lift my arms over my head or it’s painful to do so.

Back snap or back opening clothing has been used to address this problem. They are put on from the front and do not require much arm movement.  It eliminates the need to lift your arms over your head or behind you. 

I’m unable to stand and dress myself.

Try pants that partially open down the side with snaps or zippers.  It makes it much easier to put them on and also provides quicker access for toilet use.  Special wheelchair dresses are designed to wrap around and provide coverage with out having to sit on the dress itself.

I’ve lost strength or dexterity in my hands.

Consider replacing buttons with snaps or Velcro.  Items such as pull rings can be added to zippers to make them easier to grip.  Many customers find that elastic waist pants that pull on without the use of zippers, hooks or snaps are also a good solution.

My feet and ankles are swollen.

Many people suffer from edema which is excessive swelling caused by excessive fluids in the extremities.  Fortunately there are shoes, socks and slippers that are designed to fit most cases.  Edema socks are soft loosely knit socks that stretch out to 2-3 times the size of an ordinary sock.  Edema shoes and slippers come in wide widths and use Velcro closures that allow the consumer to adjust the fit to the foot.

My loved one suffers from incontinence.

The loss of full control over bladder and bowel is a common ailment that afflicts many of our seniors.   Depending on the degree of the problem, you may just need clothing that’s easy to get on and off quickly like putter pants or sweat pants.  If the person is in a wheelchair or bedridden you may want specialty apparel that opens down the sides for easy access to adult diapers.  Remember that accidents will happen and that it’s always wise to have several changes of clothing available.  Many of our facility customers find that the basic sweat pant is a good compromise.  They are soft, warm, absorbent, inexpensive and easy to change.

My loved one is undressing, digging their diapers or urinating in public.

Inappropriate behavior is often a symptom of dementia commonly associated with Alzheimer’s disease.  Often times the person exhibiting these unwanted behaviors also has a very short attention span which makes the back opening jumpsuit a viable solution.  The jumpsuit addresses these problems simply making it harder to undress or reach the problem areas, which is often times enough to discourage the behavior.  Please remember that it also makes it more difficult to quickly undress to use the bathroom!   They come in styles for both men and women and have varying degrees of security. 

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