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DRESSING
People with Alzheimer’s disease often need more time to dress. It can be hard for them
to choose their clothes. They might wear the wrong clothing for the season. They also
might wear colors that don’t go together or forget to put on a piece of clothing. Allow
the person to dress on his or her own for as long as possible.
Other tips for dressing:
• • Lay out clothes in the order the person should put them on, such as underwear
first, then pants, then a shirt, and then a sweater.
• Hand the person one thing at a time or give step-by-step dressing instructions.
• Put away some clothes in another room to reduce the number of choices.
Keep only one or two outfits in the closet or dresser.
• Keep the closet locked if needed.
• Buy three or four sets of the same clothes if the person wants to wear the same
clothing every day.
• Buy loose-fitting, comfortable clothing, such as sport bras, cotton socks and
underwear, and sweat pants and shorts with elastic waistbands.
• Avoid girdles, control-top pantyhose, knee-high nylons, high heels, and tight
socks.
• Use Velcro tape or large zipper pulls for clothing instead of shoelaces,
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buttons, or buckles.
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• Try slip-on shoes that won’t slide off or shoes with Velcro straps.
Information adapted from the NationalInstituteonAging, partoftheNationalInstitutesofHealth www.nia.nih.gov
Reviewed by Alzheimer’s LA January 2016 | NIH July 2012
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