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Alicew234 Asked April 2020

Buying clothes online for a nursing home resident; suggestions?

I am trying to buy some new clothes for a nursing home resident. She has lost weight and the clothes she has there are now two or three sizes too big!


I am having trouble with pants. I need pants with a 25.5 inch (or 26 at most) inseam. They need to be pull on and washable, of course. Unfortunately, she doesn't like capris. She keeps trying to tug them down.


I found a pair at Macy's but when I went back to reorder they said they were backordered in her size to JULY! UGH! I used to buy petite (28 inch inseam) and have them hemmed but I don't sew and the tailors are all closed. Even petite short sometimes needs to be hemmed.


Does anyone have a good place to shop for online clothes that are soft, washable, easy to put on and for the very short? Thank you!

Caregiver2020 Apr 2020
Alfred Dunner pull on polyester pants from J.C. Penneys.
They come in a variety of short sizes and are easy to wash.
JoAnn29 May 2020
Yes, bought these for Mom. They hold up very well.
LivingSouth Apr 2020
My mom bought lots of stuff at Blair. They usually have petite available and have knit pants with matching tops.
Alicew234 May 2020
Thank you! Very cute clothes!

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Mysteryshopper May 2020
I've had good experiences on eBay. I have found that the sellers will readily provide measurements when asked and sometimes item's inseam, etc is already part of the item description and I don't even have to request it. I've also asked for the "unstretched" elastic waistband measurement - which helps give a more accurate idea on the fit. They are generally more than happy to provide info because they thrive on positive feedback and repeat business.

Goldie66 May 2020
Kohl’s. Some in petite short. Plus lots if sales and coupons!! Agree about trying crop pants. Often in 25” length. I am short and it works for me.

Nimbus May 2020
Land’s End are great and I’ve bought them for my mom, but they run big, so order smaller size. I’ve read their reviews and many people say the same thing. She loves the elastic waisted jeans, they’re not too thick, and very durable through washings.

JoAnn29 May 2020
All good suggestions. I would not get rid of what she has. My Mom went up and down in her weight. She had size 16 and 14s and I had to buy 12s at one point. Boscov's sells Alfred Dunner. You may want to try them online. I would wonder why this person has lost so much weight. My Mom had Thyroid problems, reason for weight loss. When her numbers went back to normal she gained the weight back. I had stored her larger sizes in totes at my house.
Alicew234 May 2020
Her usual size was Medium or 12/14. She put on a bunch of weight before she entered the nursing home so the clothes she has there are XL (16/18). She is probably reverting to her normal weight now that she isn't allowed to eat anything she wants all day and night. Her caregiver was in denial.

She had tons of clothes in the right size but we needed clothes with no zippers, buttons, no "dry clean only"....her old life wasn't as "loungey" as her current life. She was a sharp dresser.

All the suggestions were very helpful! Thank you to the forum!
sparkielyle May 2020
I agree with cwillie. Our biggest challenge is soft. As people age their skin thins and thus with some people their nerve endings signal pain unless material is extremely soft and clothing loose. We have struggles with this for my Mom. She began insisting on wearing her clothes inside out because the seams irritate her skin. We found Walmart sweat pants great. I looked for sensory clothes used for autistic people but didn’t find anything suitable for her age (she’s 92) and style (she may be memory impaired but she knows what silly looks like). She also uses pants and shirt liners (turned inside out of course) to help. Labels irritate as well. People occasionally remark to me she has her clothes inside out and I receive that info with kindness and explain she knows and intends it so. She is with it enough to ask me if I am embarrassed to go out with her like that and I always reassure her I am not. And that’s the truth. My Mom’’s a trooper and remains the epitome of kindness of heart and self giving, even with no short term memory.

Grandma1954 May 2020
Polar Fleece type pull on pants are great and they can be cut off if they are to long. The cut edge will not fray like other material so you don't even have to sew the hem.
The nice thing about fabric like this is it is easy to wash and dry, does not stain easily.
You can find them in Men's, Woman's or Children's departments so if you get solid colors they are pretty much "uni-sex" as well as gender neutral.

Kittybee May 2020
Check Land's End. My mom is also short, and their catalog listings have measurements. I found a style that I didn't have to hem. (Forgot the name.)
juanitaloo May 2020
Land's End does hemming for free (slacks, jeans, etc.)
Lifeissohard May 2020
I'm a fan of Land's End. www.landsend.com. I think you can find a lot of different options for your Mom. Plus they have wonderful customer service.

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