Clothes for older people

insured

I am in agreement about M&S. Easy to take back. You can buy loads. etc

margaretclare wrote: »

I think what has helped to keep me young-at-heart

Doesn't everyone like to think that they are "young at heart". It doesn't mean that you are though.
Most people think that they feel the same now as when they were eg 30. I know I do.
It doesn't mean that everyone else thinks that you are young at heart.

KxMx

Some old ladies do like "old lady" clothes and there isn't anything wrong with that!

lessonlearned

My mum is 86, has had a stroke and is showing early signs of dementia.My husband is 55, severely disabled and in a nursing home. It is quite difficult at times making sure that they are still nicely turned out.

They were both snazzy dressers before their illnesses and it so sad to see them struggle with their personal care . Well in OH's case he can't anyway, he is totally reliant on other people.

My dad does his best to care for mum's appearance but struggles so my sister and I buy her clothes now. She has her hairdresser come to the house, the carers shower her every morning. I always do her hair too when I visit.

I got sick to death with the way the nursing home were so careless with my husband's clothes that I have taken to doing his laundry myself. It's a lot of work because his clothes do get heavily stained.

Despite putting his name on every single garment they repeatedly mislaid or lost his clothes. I blew my top when they
mislaid 5 pairs of his trousers and I was not at all pleased to see another resident wearing one of my husband's sweaters. Where's the dignity in that.

One thing that we've learned from caring for both mum and my OH is that you need to make sure they have a lot of clothes. They spill food and have "accidents" and can get through several outfits a day.

Clothes need to be easily laundered.

Also because they both have very limited mobility and often suffer from "urgency" and need to be able to undress quickly for the toilet we've found it's best to avoid too many buttons or zips.

Separates seem to work best for mum and she now rarely wears skirts, she finds trousers easier for going to the loo.

I've actually found it easier to buy nice attractive clothing for my mum than it is for my OH.

Women's elasticated trousers can look quite smart but so far I've not been able to find anything of that kind for OH. He and indeed all the other male residents in the nursing home are forced to wear jogging bottoms.

There doesn't seem to be an alternative for men, because all proper trousers have a zip and a top button which they can't manage.

If anyone knows of a manufacturer that does smart elasticated pull on trousers for men I would be very grateful.

I think it's important to keep our loved one's standards up when they can no longer do it for themselves. Yesterday I gave my OH a bit of a manicure and pedicure and today I cut his hair and gave him a nice head massage at the same time. He still likes a bit of pampering.

We still make sure my mum has her nails done, and I still buy her nice toiletries and smellies.

I used to be an assistant manager in a sheltered housing complex and we had quite a mix of ladies from quite young (early 60's to my eldest lady who was 99).

Some of the ladies in their 60's looked like bag ladies whilst my 99 year old lady loved dressing up in her finery.

We had one lady in her early 80's who was a dead ringer for the actress Bette Davis. This lady loved dressing up and she was always beautifully dressed with full make up and jewellery. She swanned around the place like an old movie star. :rotfl:

margaretclare

Women's elasticated trousers can look quite smart but so far I've not been able to find anything of that kind for OH. He and indeed all the other male residents in the nursing home are forced to wear jogging bottoms.

There doesn't seem to be an alternative for men, because all proper trousers have a zip and a top button which they can't manage.

If anyone knows of a manufacturer that does smart elasticated pull on trousers for men I would be very grateful.

DH got some from Matalan, £5 a pair (I think). Navy-blue. He got them before he went into hospital last, for the prostate surgery that was, but he wears them a lot just round the house. They look marginally smarter than tracky-bottoms, no cuffs round the ankles just straight like normal trousers, and they have a sort of pyjama-cord fastening and elasticated waist.

lessonlearned

Thanks Margaret - will take a look.

Errata

Marks aso do jogging bottoms that look like trousers and they come in different leg lengths.

Fen1

For elasticated waist trousers ( no zip, no fly ) suitable for both sexes, try kung fu / martial arts / wushu / tai chi clothing. They come in a range of fabrics, colours, and are square-hemmed, so no elasticated ankles.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_15?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=tai+chi+clothes&sprefix=tai+chi+clothes%2Caps%2C177&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Atai+chi+clothes

For womens' tops, try the Asian kurti tunic. They are pull-on and can vary hugely in colour and adornment. No mixing up;)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/tag/kurti%20tunics/products

'Ethnic' Asian and Oriental shops are great for non-zip clothing as they are not part of traditional designs.


For bras, try front-opening if manual dexterity is still OK. Much easier than grappling with a traditional back-opening type.

azureblue_2

Hi! I recently discovered the Bravia pull-on bra, sold at Asda for £12.97. Very comfortable and straight over your head to put on. Just the job.

PennyForThem_2

Fen1 wrote: »

For bras, try front-opening if manual dexterity is still OK. Much easier than grappling with a traditional back-opening type.

Am I naive? Any ordinary bra can be fastened in the front first by slewing it round, fastening it over the stomach and then slewing it round to the back and pulling it up to cup the breasts. What is the problem?

Savvy_Sue

PennyForThem wrote: »

Am I naive? Any ordinary bra can be fastened in the front first by slewing it round, fastening it over the stomach and then slewing it round to the back and pulling it up to cup the breasts. What is the problem?

Depends on the manual dexterity, sometimes the actual hooks and eyes bit can be tricky. When I had one arm tied to my body after a shoulder replacement, all bras were off ...