When your senior’s arthritis is acting up, her joints may swell and refuse to move the way she wants them to move. No matter where arthritis is in her body, she might find dressing to be incredibly difficult. These tips can help her to manage during the times when arthritis flares up and makes even the simplest movements feel impossible.
Choose Clothing Carefully
Tighter clothing might be a bad option for your senior, especially if her range of motion is hampered by her arthritis. Clothing that has a loose fit or that she can get on and off in multiple ways can be really helpful. That way if she’s having a tougher day with joint pain, she has some options in removing or putting on clothing.
Swap out Complicated Mechanisms
How the clothing fastens can make a big difference, too. If your senior has arthritis in her hands, manipulating buttons or operating zippers might be more difficult than ever before. Velcro is a good option, but that can feel childish to some seniors. There are a wide range of different ways to secure clothing now and a good tailor might be able to modify some of your senior’s favorite items of clothing to help her to continue wearing them.
Try Using Assistive Tools
Assistive devices aren’t just canes, they’re also shoehorns or button hooks. These and other tools can make it far easier for your senior to fasten her clothing or put on some pieces of clothing on her own. They’re often easy to use, but might have a little bit of a learning curve at first. These types of devices might feel awkward to operate, but they do make life and getting dressed a lot easier.
Bring in Extra Help
If your senior is having a lot of trouble, she might benefit from having the help of elderly care providers when she’s getting dressed. They can assist her with just what is giving her trouble, letting her handle what she can still handle on her own. This can be an empowering type of assistance for your senior, especially if she finds it difficult to accept help.
The important thing is that both you and your senior are patient with her difficulties with arthritis. Frustration just makes everything worse and more difficult to do. She’s going to have good days and bad days, but those harder days don’t have to keep her down.
IF YOU OR AN AGING LOVED ONE IS CONSIDERING ELDERLY CARE IN WILSON, NC, PLEASE CONTACT THE CARING STAFF AT SENIORS HELPING SENIORS TODAY. CALL (919) 761-5346.