Skills used to dress and undress
Getting dressed and undressed is an important self care activity that uses thinking, vision, and physical skills.
Thinking skills are used to:
- Plan and choose what clothes to wear
- Dress or undress at the right time and in the right way.
Vision skills are used to:
- Locate and select clothes
- See which way the clothes are facing to put them on correctly.
Physical skills are used to:
- Reach for, pick up and pull on and off clothes, socks and shoes
- Do up and undo fasteners, such as buttons and zips.
![A person uses both hands to button the top of their shirt.]](https://www.gate-tap.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Getting-dressed-01.png)
Question
When do people need to get dressed and undressed?
Select all that apply.
All are correct!
People need to get dressed and undressed at different times of the day and for different reasons.
Difficulty getting dressed or undressed
A child, adult or older person who has difficulty with thinking, vision, or physical skills may have difficulty getting dressed or undressed.
Instruction
Read on to meet some people who have difficulty getting dressed and undressed.
Meet Gabriel
Gabriel is seven years old. He lives with his mother and brother. Gabriel enjoys playing with toy cars.
Gabriel has difficulty remembering that it is time to get dressed and finds it difficult to choose the right clothes. He is sometimes confused about which item of clothing he needs to put on first.
Gabriel’s mother:
- Reminds him that it is time to get dressed
- Chooses his clothes each morning
- Gives clothes to him one at a time.
This assists Gabriel to get dressed.
Question
What skills does Gabriel have difficulty with when dressing and undressing?
Select one.
Thinking skills is correct!
Gabriel has difficulty remembering and planning which are thinking skills.
Meet Michael
Michael was born blind. He has difficulty locating and selecting the clothes he wants to wear. Sometimes he finds it hard to know if the clothes are the right way up to put them on.
His mother assists him to get dressed for school in the morning, but Michael would like to do it himself.
Question
What skills does Michael have difficulty with when dressing and undressing?
Select one.
Vision skills is correct!
Michael is blind and has difficulty locating and selecting clothes.
Meet Aida
Aida is 49 years old and lives with her daughter. After a stroke, Aida has weakness on the left side of her body.
Aida has difficulty:
- Reaching for her clothes
- Dressing her lower body
- Pulling clothes on over her head
- Doing up and undoing buttons and zips.
Aida’s daughter often assists her to get dressed in the morning.
Question
What skills does Aida have difficulty with when dressing and undressing?
Select one.
Physical skills is correct!
Aida has difficulty with the physical skills of dressing and undressing.
How difficulty getting dressed or undressed affects people
Finding it difficult to get dressed or undressed can affect people in different ways.
Discussion
- Do you know anyone who has difficulty getting dressed or undressed?
- What type of skills do they have difficulty with?
- How does this impact on their life?
Discuss this with your colleagues.
People who have difficulty getting dressed or undressed may experience:
- Frustration that getting dressed or undressed can take longer
- Feelings of shame or embarrassment because they need assistance
- Feelings of worry about going out of the house in case they cannot undress to use a toilet.
You may have thought of others.
Supporting people to get dressed or undressed
A person who has difficulty dressing and undressing should be supported to dress and undress independently and comfortably. This can promote feelings of dignity and self-worth.
When dressing and undressing, a person may benefit from changing:
- Dressing position
- How they get dressed or undressed
- Types of clothing and shoes.
A person may also make dressing and undressing easier by using a dressing aid.
Dressing aids
Dressing aids are assistive products that assist people to dress and undress.
Remember Aida?
Aida has weakness on the left side of her body after a stroke.
Before the stroke, Aida would stand to get dressed and undressed.
Aida now finds it easier to sit down to get dressed and undressed. She also uses dressing aids.
A person who has difficulty getting dressed or undressed may not need a dressing aid.
Assessing the person’s needs will help you find out if they can benefit from a dressing aid.
Instruction
You will learn more about assessing a person for dressing aids in Lesson two.