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I don’t believe this is a laundry mix-up, nor do I believe it’s another resident who has taken the clothes. Every item was securely attached and labelled.

I would schedule a face to face meeting with the Manager.

I would try to stay on topic & solution focused but put the *ball* in the Manager's court so to speak. Eg Mom is missing many clothes. I realise they can be laundry mistakes & residents that wander. But I also know staff can steal.

I will be buying my Mother new clothes, labelling them & I EXPECT these to REMAIN in her possession. I will be CLOSELY watching to check if every item is accounted for.

Then ask the Manager directly: What are YOU going to do to ensure my Mother's clothes remain in her possession?
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JuliaH May 21, 2025
I agree that the wanderers are pretty much to blame but they can't help themselves. I'd be pretty leary about bringing the staff into this even though it could be true. You don't need vengeful help looking after your loved ones.
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My friend labeled her husband's every clothing item with big neat capital letters right across the front with a Sharpie. Everyone in and out of his memory care unit knows his name right away, and he can't talk, so that was good. It is clear that he is BILL. Since he never leaves there and will reside there for the duration of his life, it doesn't matter if it looks odd.

She became tired of replacing his clothing, and now it all comes back from the in-house laundry in the correct basket.
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Reply to Fawnby
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My suggestion...after you talk with administration about the missing clothing.
NEVER buy new clothes.
Shop resale stores.
A few reasons for this.
Residents "shop" in others rooms.
The laundry at most facilities is pretty aggressive and can be pretty hard on clothing.
Even with items marked with the residents name, most markings eventually come off or fade. (Unless you want to make the name really noticeable so no one wants the clothing)

Check the facilities "lost and found" area. When my Husband was in rehab one of his blankets went missing, they had a ROOM full of "missing or lost" items.

I would also keep the clothing to a minimum at the facility. A few changes of clothing then every few weeks bring in another few outfits and exchange for what is there (or what is left🤣)
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Reply to Grandma1954
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BurntCaregiver May 23, 2025
@Grandma

It's up to the facility to make sure no one is "shopping" in someone else's room. It's their job to supervise the residents at all times.

Also, if you've got a person in LTC do their laundry yourself whenever possible.
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Every article of clothing has to have her name in each item either ironed in with a label or written with indelible marker. Then, take pictures of all the clothes plus the dates they were resupplied. Then do as has been suggested by others: make the admins and staff as accountable as possible. For what it's worth, this is a pretty common problem in a facility. Sometimes I think the staff traded out the clothes of deceased residents for ones that were easier for my MIL to get on to her very large but immobile body.
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Grandma1954 May 16, 2025
I love the idea of taking photos of the clothing.
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My Moms facility put her name on ever piece of clouthing and socks. In the beginning I washed Moms clothes but later I found the laundry was very good there. I did take pictures of everything I took in even her glasses. The one item that disappeared all the time was a nightshirt. I would tell the laundress and it would be back in Moms closet. Mom shared a room and many a time I found her clothes in the other persons closet.

There really shouldn't be any reason all her clothing is missing.
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Reply to JoAnn29
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Time for a meeting with Administration about lost items and the frequency, and about what they intend to do for replacement of said things.
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Reply to AlvaDeer
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I totally agree with the person who says talk to Administration. Even better, talk to the Head Nurse.

Could it be that your Mom doesn't believe her clothes are her clothes, therefore is rejecting being clothed in those clothes?

I'm assuming that she did not have expensive or clothes that were difficult to wash. In other words, all her clothes should be able to be thrown in the washer and run through a dryer. My Mom wore T-shirts and long pants all the time. If we needed her to "dress up" prior to an event, we'd bring in the clothes just prior to the event, help her change into them, then help her change out of them after the event. No jewelry or accessories while she was at the facility.

We didn't lose "clothes" at her facility. We lost a cup, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste tubes....all which were easily replaceable.

....so whose clothes is she wearing if all of her clothes have been stolen?
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Reply to ChoppedLiver
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At my late husband's nursing home, lost or missing clothing was a serious problem until they installed locks on the closets and dressers. One key went to the people distributing laundry and the other to the spouse/child/sibling responsible for paying the resident's expenses. Yes, I labeled all his clothes (even shoes and socks). Some people also took their loved one's clothing home to wash/dry it and bring it back. I took my husband to church and out to lunch sometimes, to his own doctor/dentist/optometrist, and sometimes to a sports bar to watch football and basketball games. Sometimes weather required him to wear a coat. I *never* left his coats there. I brought the appropriate coat with me and took it home. He had some nice coats (Lands End and LL Bean) that I didn't want to replace if they were missing.
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JoAnn29 May 29, 2025
I took Moms coats home too. Figured I would be the one taking her out so would bring it with me.
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I agree this is a chronic problem probably with no real solution. Some staff steal clothes, someone doing the laundry is often overwhelmed and doesn't put it back in the right room or even put it back at all. Some facilities have a room piled high with clean and/or dirty clothes waiting to be handled--staff turnover causes back up in non-critical areas. My grandmother was in a nursing home her last year but she was still sharp as a tack. I noticed one day she was wearing something I didn't recognize and asked her about it--she told me none of the clothes in the closet were hers. I looked and she was right--every piece nicely labeled with someone else's name. The next time I came I brought 4 brand new dusters nicely labeled. She laughed and told me to take them home with me and she would call and let me know if I should bring one for her to wear if she was expecting a friend to drop by or she wanted to go out. I am a social worker and spent my career dealing with nursing homes. Pick your battles. If you accuse staff, they won't say anything to you, but maybe the next time your grandmother wants a drink, they won't hear her!
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Reply to VLS799
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It has been said that the aides will take another residents clothes if their charge has no clothes. I have found my Moms clothes in her roomates closet. When she was in rehab, she had to share a closet and the laundry aide would just throw the clothes in not keeping them separated.
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