A Guide to Adaptive Clothing and it’s Benefits for the Elderly

As the senior population grows, more and more retailers and designers are focusing on the clothing needs of older adults. Adaptive clothing is one option that makes dressing easier and more comfortable for different needs.

Here’s more about this type of clothing from the team at our assisted living community in Camden County, NJ.

What is Adaptive Clothing? 

These are clothing options that are adapted to senior use, making dressing and ambulation easier for older adults and their caregivers. This includes pants with Velcro rather than snap fasteners, shoes that slide on securely rather than laces or buckles, shirts that use Velcro or magnetic fasteners rather than buttons, and clothes that pull on with elasticated fasteners rather than zippers. To provide additional comfort, adaptive clothing is made of soft and gentle fabrics.

What are the Benefits of Using Adaptive Clothing? 

For older adults and people with physical limitations, the benefits of adaptive clothing are significant. Painful joints and health conditions like Parkinson’s Disease can make the simple daily task of getting dressed and undressed an emotionally frustrating experience.

Adaptive clothing solves this by removing common obstacles like buttons and laces, making this process much easier. For many seniors, this can mean that they no longer need a caregiver’s assistance for this task, which is incredibly empowering and goes a long way to supporting senior independence.

For seniors who still require assistance, adaptive clothing is easier for caregivers as well, making it less time-consuming and a far more simplified process.

Where Can I Find Adaptive Clothing? 

Many retailers are now stocking adaptive clothing, including Silvert’s, Buck and Buck, Amazon, Walmart, and Resident Essentials. If you are handy at sewing, there are also plenty of patterns and guides online to make this clothing yourself. As with all clothing for seniors, it’s important to find the right fit in terms of comfort, safety and fall prevention. Make sure that the shoes and slippers have good gripping soles, that pants are hemmed to the right length to prevent tripping, and that clothing can be easily layered for warmth as well as sun protection.

Assisted living Camden County NJ – A Community That Cares About Senior Independence 

Collingswood is part of the United Methodist Communities network of high-quality, non-profit assisted living communities specializing in independent living for seniors. With an experienced care and assistance team, scalable services customized to each resident’s needs, and a lively social calendar, we focus our community to provide essential resources that promote independence and quality of life.

To find out more about United Methodist Communities or our assisted living community in Camden County, NJ, please visit our website at http://collingswood.umcommunities.org/ or contact us and book your visit today.