One daily living habit that many seniors with dementia struggle with is getting dressed. From knowing what to wear each day, to keeping their clothes in good shape, and even all the way to physically putting on clothes, it can become a challenge that your loved one may need assistance with as his disease progresses. Personal care providers can offer that assistance.
How Dementia Affects Everyday Living Activities, Such As Getting Dressed
Two main factors can create stumbling blocks for your elderly loved one with dementia as they try to get dressed each day. The first one is memory. We don’t think about memory much, but it plays an important part in all of our daily activities. When getting dressed, a person has to remember where his clothes are (which drawer is the underwear in, where are the shirts hanging, where are his favorite shoes). We also have to remember what the weather is like and what we are doing that day – are we going to a park, staying home, or going to church?
The other factor that causes issues for some patients involves their loss of the ability to remember how to do certain movements needed to get dressed. If they are trying to pull a shirt over their head, they might get confused as to when to put their arms through the sleeves. Certain dressing tasks like buttoning buttons, zipping zippers, or fastening hooks may become too complicated.
Five Tips to Help the Dressing Process Go More Smoothly
Eliminate Clothes That Aren’t Appropriate. During the summer, take away all of the winter clothes. At all times, make sure there are no clothes that no longer fit or are damaged. Make sure the choices they have will be okay if they choose them.
Choose clothes that are easy to put on and take off. When eliminating clothes from his closets and drawers, you might want to remove button-up shirts, jeans with zippers and snaps, tight-fitting shirts with small neck and arm holes, and any other complicated pieces of clothing.
Reduce choices. You might want to make it easier by taking out two outfits and having them choose between the two. That way, they still get to choose what they want but aren’t overwhelmed by too many choices.
Offer assistance, but don’t force yourself on them. They might need more time than usual to get dressed, but so long as they’re progressing in the correct direction, let them take as long as needed.
Provide physical support. Balance can be difficult for dementia patients, so make sure they have a chair to sit on when changing clothes, even putting on a shirt. This can reduce the risk of a fall occurring when getting dressed.
As your loved one begins to struggle more and more with daily living activities, you might find it beneficial to get assistance from an organization that provides personal care for those with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. An organization that offers personal care providers who are familiar with working with and helping dementia patients can give you the support you need as you care for your loved one. Personal care providers can step in and help with getting dressed, mealtimes, exercise, and provide companionship for your loved one.
If you or an aging loved one is considering Personal Care Services in Boca Raton, FL, please contact the caring staff at Star Multi Care today. Call 954-962-0926.
Star Multi Care is a Trusted Home Care Agency in Florida, including Palm Beach, Miami-Dade, and Broward County.
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