Need help designing and building a dressing aid.

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SatchimosMom Asked October 2019

Need help designing and building a dressing aid.

My sister is paralyzed in her left arm from a stroke. She is obese and has major incontinence issues. She wears Depends but has an impossible time pulling them up over her belly due to the paralysis. Same with her pants. She likes to be out and about frequently but her inability to get her Depends and pants fully up partnered with her incontinence is causing great challenges. She lives with her severely mentally ill husband who is rarely of any assistance to her.

I’m buying her a dressing stick for home use. But we need something more portable that we can stick into her day pack or purse.

Any ideas? Thanks in advance!

Adult Diapers Incontinence Product

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score 1 · Answer 1

Go to a supply store for the disabled. You'll be surprised at all the equipment that is available to people who need it.

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score 0 · Answer 2

My mother used a 20" reaching tool when she was still able to dress herself. It may not be small enough to be truly "portable," but it was what worked the best for her. It's also a nice size for taking to the grocery store, etc. (I even use one myself!).

I order directly from https://www.ezee-reachersupply.com/categories/product/1-20-ez-reacher.html. Their products are well-made and very durable, and they do ship quickly.

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score 2 · Answer 3

Ask OT for help with assistive devices. There are also pants that have Velcro to make "off-on" easier.

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score 2 · Answer 4

I would definitely consult with an occupational therapist as they deal with these kind of issues all the time. She won’t be the first stroke or paralyzed person they’ve encountered. Ask her doctor for a referral or find one through the hospital

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score 1 · Answer 5

I just thought of this....the VA deals with a lot of these kinds of issues b/c of the traumatic injuries from the ongoing Asiatic deployments. I get VA e-letters a few times a week. I'll skim through and see if I can find any departments or discussions on how they're treating similar kinds of injuries for Veterans.

I'm guessing they're way ahead of the private sector in addressing these kinds of situations.

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score 2 · Answer 6

Have you consider a suspender like strap? If your sister can work the clip with her right hand, she can close it around the left side of the panty/pant and then pull the panty/pant up and disconnect.

My SIL had a short wooden rod (8"-10") with a small rubber ball glued on the end. She could catch the ball under the waist band of pants and then hold the rod parallel to the floor and pull up.

SIL was able to stand alone or lightly leaning against a wall when she used these techniques.

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These are very interesting ideas! I especially like the clip idea!!! I’m going to play around with both these ideas this weekend. Thanks!

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score 0 · Answer 7

Why not contact a local high school to ask if their technology classes might like to take on the project for some credit?

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To be honest, I don’t believe we have a local high school with any vo-tech classes like that. But I will reach out to them. Thanks!

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score 1 · Answer 8

I'm thinking something along the line of those picker upper sticks, augmented or cut down to size. It has a handle on it and you squeeze it and then it could grip the clothing or pull ups.
Maybe you could tape some type of cloth around the gripper things to keep from scratching her skin. I wish I could draw it and send to you my idea. Good luck. Then again, another idea is a sturdy pair of tongs, grilling tongs and wrap that with some sort of material to keep from injuring herself.
Good luck.

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I was just looking at the reachers last night...and also thought about tongs. So, I guess great minds think alike 😁. I think I’ll begin with the tongs.

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score 1 · Answer 9

Wish I could help. Don’t have any ideas but I wish you well. Good luck.

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Need help designing and building a dressing aid.

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