Elderly Care Issues: Tips for Clothes Shopping with Your Aging Loved Ones
Caring for an elderly loved one means more than just helping them with the tasks of daily living and maintaining their safety. You will also have the opportunity to do other things with them that will ensure their comfort, health, and well-being throughout their aging years. One of these is shopping for new clothing with them. What a person wears is not just about covering up. The clothing that your seniors wear can be an expression of their personality and individuality, keep them comfortable and healthy, and give them a greater sense of independence by providing them a chance to make their own decisions and feel good about themselves.
With all of the important roles that your parents’ clothing can play, shopping should be something that you look forward to, but also an activity that you do carefully so that you ensure you get the most out of the experience and help your parents choose the clothes that are right for them.
Use these tips to make shopping for clothes with your aging loved ones a successful and enjoyable experience:
- Know what they need. Even if your aging mother loves to shop and the two of you spend afternoons roaming the mall together, going clothes shopping should not be something that you do haphazardly. Before you head out on your clothing-specific shopping trip, talk about what you are looking for so that you are all prepared for the experience. This can mean that you need to bulk up their wardrobe for the next season, are looking for special occasion clothing, need more comfortable clothing for them to wear during recovery from an upcoming procedure, or just that they need to refresh their basics. This will help you to focus and keep your time and your budget in check.
- Take your time. Do not try to force shopping for clothes into an already busy day. Shopping for clothing can be stressful, so taking your time will help you to relax, ease anxiety, and enjoy the experience more. Set aside as much of the day as possible to do the shopping and turn it into a fun outing, not just a chore that you have to do. This will give you a chance to let them try on their choices, go through all of the options to find the pieces they truly want, and get benefits from the quality time with you.
- Be encouraging. Encourage your parents to express themselves through the clothing that they choose. Have them pick out items that they like or tell you what colors they want to wear or that they do not want to wear. If they are dealing with cognitive limitations or challenges that could make selecting clothing out of all of the options available at a store overwhelming or even frightening, narrow down the options for them. For example, ask them what colors they like to wear before you start selecting clothing, and then select two or three options for each article of clothing in that color and ask them to choose which one they like. This allows them to still exert their individuality and autonomy through a personal choice without it being too much for them to process comfortably.
If the prospect of shopping with a senior loved one, or any other task that they need assistance with, seems daunting or overwhelming, consider seeking the help of an elderly care provider. A professional caregiver can assist with the elderly care your loved one needs on a regular basis, affording you the opportunity to simply enjoy spending time with them.
If you or an aging loved one are considering elderly care in the Denver Metro Area, please call and speak to the caring staff at Talem Home Care. Call today at (720) 797-8548.
