Adaptive Clothing and Aids

Part of adjusting to life with Parkinson’s may include adapting the way you do everyday tasks. Getting dressed and finding comfortable and accommodating clothing can be difficult for those who experience motor symptoms. Small changes to your dressing routine and attention to the kinds of clothing you buy can make getting ready for the day a less frustrating process.

When getting dressed, it helps to allow yourself enough time to get into your clothes comfortably, taking care to dress your stiffer limbs first. If possible, try to dress during times when your medication is most effective. You may also find it helpful to rely on a chair and/or footstool, along with other assistive devices such as the following:

• Long-handled shoe horns and sock aids: Both of these devices eliminate the need to bend forward to put on socks and shoes, and may be helpful for those with an unsteady hand or trouble gripping.
• Elastic shoe laces: Specialized laces can help to adapt your footwear so that you can slide your feet in without having to untie them.
• Button hooks: These small hooks can make it easier to button and unbutton clothing, even with only one hand.
• Zipper pulls: A small ring or similar easy-to-grip handle can be attached to make zippers easy to grasp and pull.

For those with more advanced motor symptoms, adaptive clothing options may be necessary. Adaptive clothing refers to any modified articles of clothing intended to make it easier to put on and take off, either by the wearer or their carepartner. Although people with Parkinson’s may experience cognitive issues, most are acutely aware of how, with the progression of the disease, some tasks are far more difficult or even impossible without the help of a carepartner. Alongside this, being restricted to athletic, oversized, generic or clinical-looking clothing can have a profound impact on one’s dignity and sense of identity.

Researchers have used the term “enclothed cognition” to describe this association of clothing and style with mood and mental wellbeing (Matchar, Emily, 2018). One 2012 study by Adam Galinsky of the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University even showed that people who were given white doctor’s coats to wear during cognitive tests scored significantly higher than those not wearing the coats. This had to do with the symbolic association of attentiveness and carefulness with the coats – traits which were then heightened or assumed by physically wearing them (Galinsky et al.). Clothing and its social connotations can impact how we see ourselves and how we think others see us.

When most people think of clothing that’s easier to get on and off, they may think of sweatpants and a sweatshirt – however comfortable this may be, this does not provide a solution for those who wish to have variety in their clothing. Mindy Scheier, founder of the Runway of Dreams Foundation, described her inspiration to advocate for more inclusive and individualized adaptive clothing options in a recent TED talk (Scheier, 2017). Her son, Oliver, has a form of muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair and leg braces. This forced him to wear baggy athletic clothing every day, to which he told Mindy, “Mom, wearing sweatpants every day makes me feel like I’m dressing disabled.” This sentiment represents a perspective that has influenced a slow shift in the fashion industry to provide a more mainstream market for people with disabilities, movement disorders and difficulties dressing themselves or fitting into conventional clothing.

Many adaptive clothing brands are now providing more inclusive options and greater style varieties. New clothing technologies also offer more durable, stretchy, soft, and moisture-wicking fabrics, which can be particularly useful for those with difficulty dressing, or who may not be able to do laundry often or on their own.

Here are a few clothing brands helpful for people with Parkinson’s available in Canada:

• Silvert’s offers a wide range of adaptable clothing options for easy dressing featuring Velcro and magnetic closures and wheelchair-friendly options. www.silverts.com
• MagnaReady specializes in men’s business casual options with magnetic closures including button down shirts, polos, dress pants, khakis and ready-to-wear ties. www.magnaready.com
• Super Fly guarantees easy-on, easy-off casual clothing that can be put on or taken off in under 30 seconds. www.super-fly.com
• Buck & Buck makes colourful and comfortable options that offer ease of dressing without a generic or clinical design. www.buckandbuck.com
• Ably Apparel uses Filium technology in their natural fabrics to produce water, stain and odor resistant clothing that requires less frequent washing. www.ablyapparel.ca
• Under Armour focuses on athletic clothing featuring seamless fabrics, heat and cold barriers, moisture-wicking and stretch, making them easier for dressing and reducing some of the need for layering or changing clothes. www.underarmour.com 

Gifting for Everyday Ease

Alongside adaptive clothing, there are many products which can help alleviate the burden and frustration of difficult everyday tasks. This holiday season, consider giving the gift of quality of life to a loved one with Parkinson’s with some of these assistive devices:

• Liftware Steady: stabilizing eating utensils for those who experience hand tremors www.store.liftware.com
• PenAgain: Y-shaped ergonomic pens that use the natural weight of your hand to apply the necessary pressure to ease ink into paper www.penagain.net
• Electric can and jar openers, available at most homeware retailers, that operate with the touch of a button, and reduce the risk of injury from sharp can edges or dropping glass jars
• Motion activated nightlights, available at most homeware retailers, or other houseware retailers, to reduce the risk of falling when getting up during the night, particularly useful for those who experience
• Nocturia Computer gear such as keyboards and mice with large buttons and steady controls www.infogrip.com
• Automated pill dispensers to ensure medication is taken on time with alarms and visual alerts and motorized dispense mechanisms, like this one available on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2yoQq15  

Sources

Galinsky, Adam et al. Enclothed Cognition. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 48.2. 2012. pp. 918-925. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022103112000200

Matchar, Emily. Designing “Adaptive Clothing” For Those With Special Needs. Smithsonian Magazine. May 2018. https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/adaptive-clothing-brands-for-kids-women-men-seniors_us_5b27cb27e4b056b2263c77e7

Scheier, Mindy. How Adaptive Clothing Empowers People with Disabilities. TED. Nov. 2017. Lecture. https://www.ted.com/talks/mindy_scheier_how_adaptive_clothing_empowers_people_with_disabilities?language=en 

This content was published in the Winter 2018 edition of our quarterly magazine, Viewpoints. The content was accurate as of this publication date.