Choosing the Right Adaptive Clothing: Part II
In our previous blog we discussed the importance of fabric when choosing adaptive clothing. Presented here is another important feature of adaptive clothing, closures.
It is encouraging to see recent advancements in adaptive clothing which focus on functionality without sacrificing style. Here we will present three easy closure solutions which you might find useful when making your choices of adaptive garments. They are magnetic snaps, Velcro, and magnetic zippers.
Snap on closures or magnetic snaps take the place of regular buttons. Every person has their own particular needs, depending on hand strength and range of motion. Snap on closures are usually used on shirts or, pajamas to help with the ease of putting on or taking off a garment. Magnetic snaps are frequently put on the cuff of long sleeve shirts, and hidden with a button, giving the shirt the look of regular clothing. Magnets should fasten securely and not pop open when in use. A plastic covering around the magnet protects it from rusting and holds it in place. Magnets do vary in strength and their effectiveness can be impacted by fabric type. So thicker fabric calls for stronger magnets.
Everyone uses Velcro for almost everything. It is widely used for dresses, shirts, pants, and shoes. It was first patented in 1954 so it’s been around for a long time. The benefits of Velcro for seniors goes beyond appearance, it simply makes dressing so much easier. It requires slightest effort to sew into a garment, and eliminates struggles with buttons, hooks and zippers. We dress ourselves with little effort, and looking sharp is easy. It is a different story for an individual with arthritis, Parkinson’s, or other medical issue. For sensitive skin, pressure points are minimized by eliminating seams and rough edges. Velcro is used in pants, jeans trousers and joggers. It is sewed right into the garment making it undetectable, and easy to use. There are some shoes that use Velcro which helps provide stability, support, and easy slip on and off.
Magnetic zippers are amazing. Some adaptations for zippers have been made, for example, larger rings for zipping up and down. But those types of zippers are not much use for someone who cannot insert the small pin into the retaining box. Magnetic zippers are game changing. The zipper does the work, and the person need only use one hand to pull it up or down if they want. This zipper has magnets embedded in the left and right opening parts. The force of the magnet allows the zipper to be closed simply by bringing the opening parts together. Conventional zippers require a lot of hand movement which can be challenging for persons with dexterity issues. Magnetic zippers are becoming widely used and enable people who struggle with dressing, much easier.
These three types of closures, magnetic snaps, Velcro and magnetic zippers take the stress and struggle out of dressing. Selecting adaptive clothing depends on the individual’s specific mobility, dexterity, and sensory needs.
