3 Ways to Help Struggling Elderly Relatives Get Dressed

Elderly Care in Holdingford MN: 3 Ways to Help Struggling Elderly Relatives Get Dressed

It’s very common for elderly adults with chronic health issues to struggle with getting dressed every day. Seniors are often dealing with one or more age-related conditions that hinder their ability to manipulate their bodies and clothing successfully. Elderly adults like this must often rely on family members to help them but if those family caregivers aren’t around for some reason, the seniors are stuck without means to dress themselves.

• Is your aging mom or dad struggling to dress themselves?
• Are they growing frustrated at their physical limitations?
• Do they seem embarrassed to ask for help in getting dressed?
• Has their self-esteem suffered when it comes to getting ready for the day?

Here are 3 ways to help struggling elderly relatives get dressed:

1. Dressing Aids

There are several adaptive tools on the market that help elderly and disabled people deal with certain articles of clothing. Many come in the form of the clothes themselves, such as magnetic belt buckles, snaps instead of buttons and front-closure bras. Other dressing aids help seniors manipulate the clothing and their bodies, such as dressing sticks, grab sticks, sock aids, button hooks, and shoe aids. When elderly people can no longer bend, pull and twist effectively, dressing aids can be valuable tools to success in dressing.

2. Occupational Therapy

When seniors lose their physical abilities, both large motor skills and small motor skills, an occupational therapist can help. Occupational therapists teach seniors how to be smart bout their body and what their capabilities are. Seniors are taught alternative ways to get dressed, using techniques that maximize their strengths and abilities. By focusing on what they can do, elderly adults can learn other methods for accomplishing their goal of dressing themselves.

3. Elderly Care Providers

When seniors are physically limited in what they can do for self-care, many family caregivers hire elderly care providers to assist. Besides dressing, elderly care providers can help with grooming, hygiene and transportation, as well as cooking, cleaning and companionship. Helping the elderly adult get dressed can be a blend of careful monitoring and gently stepping in to help where needed. Because elderly care providers are professionally trained to help seniors, they know how to aid at just the right times. This preserves the aging adult’s dignity and fosters independence as much as possible.

It’s common for aging relatives to feel upset about relying on family caregivers and elder care assistants for something as simple as getting dressed. Using dressing aides, participating in occupational therapy and hiring elderly care providers can really help elderly adults with some of their self-care challenges with getting dressed. By promoting independence yet providing them with help as needed, family caregivers can ensure that the elderly adult can stay self-reliant for as long as possible.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering elderly care in Holdingford, MN, please contact the caring staff at Alternative Senior Care today. Providing Home Care in Central Minnesota and Surrounding Communities. Call us Today (320) 352-3350.