Adaptive equipment can improve an individual’s safety, efficiency, and independence with daily activities. There are various types of adaptive equipment for all ADLs (bathing, personal hygiene/grooming, toileting, eating/feeding, dressing, and transferring). However, this article will focus specifically on adaptive equipment for lower body dressing.
Listed below are the most common adaptive equipment needed for lower body dressing.
Common Adaptive Equipment for Lower Body Dressing
- Sock Aid: This equipment can be flexible or rigid and has two handles to assist with putting on socks.
- Dressing Stick: This adaptive equipment consists of a long stick with hooks or grips on each end to help an individual pull clothing on or take clothing off.
- Long Handled Reacher: This long reacher, with a manual trigger clamp on the end of it, assists with grabbing items that are out of arm’s reach.
- Long Handled Shoehorn: This tool has a spoon-shaped head that fits inside the back of a shoe, so an individual can slide their feet into their shoes.
- Adaptive Shoelaces or Fasteners: There are various types of adaptive shoelaces and fasteners that can limit the need to tie shoes traditionally. Magnetic shoe fasteners, elastic stretch laces, or Velcro closures may be good choices to consider. If new adaptive equipment is not warranted, some people can even try adaptive shoe tying methods.
- Button hook or Zipper Pull: These tools assist with fine motor tasks, like fastening buttons or zipping zippers. The button hook is a hook attached to a handle that can be used for buttoning, and the zipper pull is a piece of metal, fabric, or plastic that can be attached through the zipper’s hole to assist with zipping or unzipping.
- Leg Lifter: This adaptive equipment has a flexible metal rod that is covered by a long nylon strap with a large, rigid loop on one end to place your foot inside and a small, soft loop on the other end to hold with your hand.
Benefits of using Adaptive Equipment for Dressing
There are many benefits to using adaptive equipment for dressing including, but not limited to, encouraging independence, reducing the risk of falls by limiting unsafe movements, decreasing body strain and pain, increasing efficiency, promoting problem-solving, and building confidence in self-care activities. Whether you have an acute injury or a progressive diagnosis, adaptive equipment can help you become more efficient, safe, and independent with daily tasks.
Occupational therapists offer guidance on selecting tools based on an individual’s needs, and they also provide education and training on appropriately and effectively using these tools, in order to address patient-specific goals.
In summary, adaptive equipment can be beneficial for anyone, but especially those with disabilities or who are recovering from injuries. Occupational therapists can provide valuable guidance on selecting and using adaptive equipment based on an individual’s needs. Appropriate use of adaptive equipment has the ability to improve an individual’s efficiency, safety, and independence in daily activities.
Sage Outpatient has skilled occupational therapists who can educate and train you on adaptive equipment to meet your individualized needs
