Dressing: trousers, socks, and shoes

A dressing technique for wheelchair users who have impaired hand function and impaired balance


User puts on trousers, socks, and shoes

Technique
The user, whose wheelchair does not have an anti-tip device, positions himself against a bed or a wall in order not to tip backwards. He straightens out the trousers on his lap. He lifts up one leg with his wrist under his knee, changes his grip, and places the leg across the top of the other leg. Now he lifts up his leg under his knee so that the foot is in the air and he pulls the trouser leg over the foot, changes his grip and pulls the trousers up over his knee. Then he pulls up the bent leg, squeezes it under his shoulder and puts on his socks and shoes. Before he puts his foot down he pulls the trousers up under his thigh. He repeats the process with the other leg.
Then the user leans backward over the chair backrest to lift his bottom off the seat. He grasps the waistband with his thumbs and pulls up the trousers (see associated tip).

Users comments
He puts on the trousers before the socks because there is less resistance when he pulls up the trouser leg. To make it easier to put on his socks the user can lick his hands or put on wheelchair gloves to provide better friction. The user hops forward in the chair before he lifts up his leg in order to better maintain his balance.

User puts on his shoe

User puts on his shoe

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Author: Tobias

Personen bor i lägenhet. Han arbetar och studerar heltid. Han skadade sig 2003 och har en komplett tetraplegi C6. Han ca 1- 3 timmar assistans per dag.

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