Clothes And Shoes That Made Life Easier

Easy Clothing For Elderly Parents With Dementia

Getting dressed looks like the simplest thing in the world, until it isn't. For a long time, I didn't think twice about it either — until buttons became too fiddly, trousers went on back to front, and something that used to take two minutes started taking twenty.

What Worked For Us

Elastic waist trousers were one of the best changes I made. No buttons, no zips, nothing to fumble with — just pull them on and go. I kept several pairs in each colour so there was always something clean and ready without turning the morning into a decision.

Jumpers were easier than anything with buttons for the same reason — simple to pull on over the head, nothing to line up or fasten. Where buttons still worked, I looked for cardigans with large ones, since Mum could still manage those for a long time, and it mattered to her to be able to do it herself.

Shoes were another area where simple won every time. Slip-on styles with no laces made life much easier once tying shoelaces became too difficult.

Colour mattered more than I expected. Bright, solid colours were much easier for Mum to see and recognise than anything patterned, which she sometimes mistook for stains and tried to brush off.

I didn't need all of these myself, but they're worth knowing exist, since every situation is a little different.

Velcro fastenings show up a lot in adaptive clothing designed specifically for dementia — a much easier alternative to buttons or zips for anyone who struggles with fiddly closures.

This isn't something everyone will experience, but it's more common than people think, and I rarely see it talked about plainly. Some people with dementia go through periods of undressing at times that don't make sense to anyone else. There's clothing specifically designed for this — often back-fastening, so it's harder to remove without help — and it's worth knowing it exists if this becomes something a family is dealing with.

None of this was really about fashion or even practicality for its own sake. It was about keeping things familiar, letting Mum still do as much for herself as she could, for as long as she could, and taking away one more source of frustration from her day.

I've written more about this, along with everything else I changed around the house, in my full guide.

• Tops: Simple big button cardigans. Easy to wear jumpers or tops/t-shirts. (I got a lot from M & S.)

• Trousers: Elasticated. Pull on. Super easy. I used to find them in Marks them found them in Amazon.

• Shoes: Skecher Slip Ons. There are a couple of good options on Amazon as well.

• Underwear: Investing in padded underwear might be better sooner rather than later.

  
  

The blog shares my experiences. The handbook shows you exactly what I put in place to keep my mum safe and help me care from another country. Find out more here