Alzheimer's can transform even the simplest tasks into significant challenges. In the middle and later stages of the disease, many individuals struggle with dressing themselves. Here are some tips to make assisting a person with Alzheimer's in getting dressed easier.
Shop Together: Whenever possible, take the person with Alzheimer's disease shopping for their clothes. Allowing them to choose some of their favorite items will make the new clothes seem familiar, increasing the likelihood they'll wear them.
Buy Duplicates: If your loved one frequently insists on wearing a "favorite outfit," consider purchasing several identical sets.
Look for Simplicity: Select clothing that is easy to put on and take off. Elastic waists and Velcro closures reduce the difficulty of managing buttons and zippers.
Provide Limited Choices: Offering too many options can overwhelm a person with dementia, leading to frustration. Present a few choices, ideally no more than three, and lay them out on a bed or dresser so they are easily visible.
Allow Extra Time: Dressing may take longer depending on the progression of the person's dementia. Be patient and allocate sufficient time to prevent delays from affecting other plans.
Establish Order: Arrange clothing in the order it should be put on to help guide the person through the dressing process.
Be Positive and Supportive: Encouragement and compliments can significantly boost the confidence of a person with Alzheimer's regarding their clothing choices. Support their decisions, even if you don't agree, as long as it doesn’t pose any harm. Allow them to wear a dress to bed or a sweatshirt in warm weather if it makes them happy.
For information about how AmoryCare can help with Dementia care at home please contact us:
Phone: 908-854-3220
Fax: 908-854-3221
Email: info@amorycare.com
Service Areas:
Union County, NJ: Berkeley Heights, Summit, Linden, Scotch Plains, Westfield, Murray Hill, Plainfield, Mountainside, Garwood, Clark, New Providence, Elizabeth, Roselle Park, Winfield, Kenilworth, Vauxhall, Cranford, Springfield, Union, Fanwood.
Morris County, NJ: Bernardsville, Boonton, Brookside, Budd Lake, Butler, Califon, Cedar Knolls, Chatham, Chester, Denville, Dover, East Hanover, Far Hills, Flanders, Florham Park, Gillette, Greenvillage, Hibernia, Ironia, Kenvil, Lake Hopatcong, Landing, Ledgewood, Lincoln Park, Long Valley, Madison, Mendham, Millington, Montville, Morris Plains, Morristown, Mt. Arlington, Mt. Freedom, Mt. Tabor, Mountain Lakes, Netcong, New Vernon, Newfoundland, Oak Ridge, Parsippany, Pequannock, Picatinny Arsenal, Pine Brook, Pompton Plains, Port Murray, Randolph, Riverdale, Rockaway, Schooley’s Mountain, Stirling, Succasunna, Towaco, Wharton, Whippany.
Essex County, NJ: Livingston, Roseland, Essex Fells, West Orange, South Orange, Short Hills, Millburn, Maplewood, Montclair, Verona, Cedar Grove, Glen Ridge, Bloomfield, Belleville, Nutley, West Caldwell, Fairfield, Irvington, Newark, East Orange.
Bergen County, NJ: Allendale, Alpine, Bergenfield, Bogota, Carlstadt, Cliffside Park, Closter, Cresskill, Demarest, Dumont, East Rutherford, Edgewater, Elmwood Park, Emerson, Englewood, Englewood Cliffs, Fair Lawn, Fairview, Fort Lee, Franklin Lakes, Garfield, Glen Rock, Hackensack (county seat), Harrington Park, Hasbrouck Heights, Haworth, Hillsdale, Ho-Ho-Kus, Leonia, Little Ferry, Lodi, Lyndhurst, Mahwah, Maywood, Midland Park, Montvale, Moonachie, New Milford, North Arlington, Northvale, Norwood, Oakland, Old Tappan, Oradell, Palisades Park, Paramus, Park Ridge, Ramsey, Ridgefield, Ridgefield Park, Ridgewood, River Edge, River Vale, Rochelle Park, Rockleigh, Rutherford, Saddle Brook, Saddle River, South Hackensack, Teaneck, Tenafly, Teterboro, Upper Saddle River, Waldwick, Wallington, Washington Township, Westwood, Wood-Ridge, Woodcliff Lake, and Wyckoff.
Passaic County, NJ: Bloomingdale, Clifton, Haledon, Hawthorne, Little Falls, North Haledon, Passaic, Paterson, Pompton Lakes, Prospect Park, Ringwood, Totowa, Wanaque, Wayne, West Milford, Woodland Park.
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