A dressing aid is a tool that helps people who have trouble getting dressed by themselves. It can make tasks like putting on clothes, socks, or shoes easier for them. Dressing aids can be sticks with hooks or loops, or they can have special handles to help with buttons or zippers. They are especially helpful for people with physical disabilities, allowing them to dress independently and feel more comfortable.
What kinds of dressing aids are there?
Zipper Hook or Pulls
Zipper pulls can be attached to every zipper tab to make zipping easier for people with arthritis, hand weakness, difficulty gripping, etc. A zipper hook is a tool that is inserted into a zipper to allow for pulling.
Button Hook
Button hooks allow for more independent buttoning. A loop is inserted through the clothing eyelet and hooks over the button to allow it to be pulled back through the eyelet. This tool often comes with a zipper hook as well. Some tools are multipurpose, like the “pocket dresser.”
Sock Donner/Sock Aid
This tool is useful for putting socks on for someone with limited use of hands or who is unable to bend forward due to limited range of motion restrictions.
Shoe Horn
Helpful for sliding shoes on without bending.
Pants Dressing Aid
Increases independence with lower body dressing for those who have difficulty bending over and reaching.
Reacher/Grabber Tool
Allows the user to pick clothing up off the floor without bending over.
Adaptive Footwear
Companies like Billy Footwear make shoes that unzip, allowing the wearer to place their foot onto the shoe footbed unobstructed.
Adaptive Clothing
You can adapt your clothing to use magnetic closures or swap out your regular shoelaces for elastic laces. Companies like Zappo’s Adaptive also sell clothing with these modifications already made.