GETTING DRESSED

Getting dressed sounds easy, but in fact, it can be quite challenging for a person with Parkinson’s disease. This simple daily task can become quite stressful. Because Parkinson’s is a disorder of the nervous system, the symptoms such as stiffness in the hands, shaking and tremors, difficulty with fine motor skills, can make it a struggle simply to put on pants. Getting dressed can become a slow and frustrating process, especially frustrating if you have to get dressed and redressed several times a day. Many patients have exercise programs, physical therapy sessions and doctor appointments each requiring undressing and redressing.  This can lead to stress, not a good thing for a Parkinson’s patient. We discovered that fewer steps mean the more probability of success with dressing; simplicity will lead to less stress in getting dressed for both the person with Parkinson’s and the Carer. If the person can dress independently or with little assistance, select items that have few buttons to contend with, or choose garments with a zipper or the pull on or pull over the head styles.

Health Aides Made Easy tries to address this problem with clothes that allow the Person with Parkinson’s to get dressed with ease and remain dressed throughout the day. We offer several garments that can make the simple act of getting dressed and staying dressed a priority. For those with stiffness in the arms and trunk we have terrific ponchos that simply slip over the head. For men, we offer a dress shirt that closes with magnets. How terrific for those with lowered hand dexterity. We have slacks with no zipper or buttons. These pants close very simply with Velcro. Because some people cannot stand while getting dressed, we carry pants that can be put on in a seated position. Other pants zip up and zip down the legs to allow for physical therapy and Doctor’s appointments. In addition they can be removed quickly and discreetly to accommodate incontinent aids. There is no need to get undressed. The clothes that we offer are by and large made of soft stretchy fabric. Most of our pants have elastic waistbands for added comfort. They are designed to wear from morning to night. Get dressed, stay dressed and feel comfortable. The Schlesingers' mission is to find the best and most innovative adaptive clothing in the marketplace. They knew it was important to reach out to the differently-abled community and let them know that there is fashionable and functional clothing designed for them, clothing that can takes the stress out of getting dressed, while at the same time makes them look good. To get more information about Health Aides Made Easy go to their page in the Wellness Village under Adaptive Clothing and view their video or contact them directly through their webpage.