She shoos me away when I try to help. Any suggestions for an easy front closing bra for a large bust that might be easier for her to get on and off? There are so many brands and some bras are just awful. She’s always worn an underwire type bra, usually Bali. We’ve gotten some bras online through Amazon and Macy’s but they all seem to be knockoffs of the real brands and don’t fit. I’m trying to help her be as independent as possible for as long as she possibly can be. Thanks for any suggestions.
1. People who put them on over their shoulders and over their bust first, then do the clip up at the back.
2. People who do them up around their waists, twizzle them round through 180 degrees, then put their arms through the shoulder straps and pull the straps up one at a time.
Which has been your mother's preferred style? If 1., could she be persuaded to try 2.?
I would strongly encourage you to encourage/support/assist continued bra wearing, especially in a fuller-figured lady, because keeping the fold of skin under the bust scrupulously clean and dry is very difficult and the resulting problems are made much worse if the skin surfaces are continuously pressed together. In ladies who really can't wear a bra even though they'd like to, for example because of shoulder injuries or recent pacemaker insertions, I search through their underwear (with permission, of course) for pure cotton vests or t-shirts and ensure that the natural fabric is tucked smoothly under the bust line just to keep the skin from getting stuck to itself.
There are two problems with front opening bras: 1. they are rarely underwired and so don't give the support your mother would be used to; 2. you need two strong hands to get them done up on a larger chest. There are both zip styles and hook-and-eye styles, but both present pinch hazards (yowch!), and both require a good deal of manipulation to get the cup comfortably around the breast. As I found yesterday after my client's otherwise terrific shower routine. She is in reasonable shape physically, but even so she wasn't able to get the leverage she needed to bring the two ends together. It took teamwork :)
Her boobs went down to practically nothing because she doesn’t eat much and weighs so little but they still sag.
Bras are a pain! She would place hers at her waist backwards, hook it, turn it around and then scoot it up.
Try a google search. One particularly nice style I saw recently had a “wrap” arrangement.
I’ll post brand names......LOTS of selections on Amazon, looking for more........
Here's the ones I buy her and the only ones she gets nowadays: take them or leave them, I don't care:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/NWT-Bali-Womens-White-Size-XXL-Comfort-Revolution-Full-Coverage-Bra-White-Dot/274518045369?hash=item3fea8cf2b9:g:m-EAAOSw~Zlfd0~3
And here's the front closure version:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Bali-Comfort-Revolution-Front-Close-T-Shirt-Bra-Womens/371645477388?_trkparms=aid%3D1110006%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D225086%26meid%3Dc409f70818fe4adeaf2e0d8a37f1542f%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D12%26mehot%3Dpf%26sd%3D274518045369%26itm%3D371645477388%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2047675%26algv%3DSimplAMLv5PairwiseWebWithDarwoV3BBEV2b%26brand%3DBali&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851
Wishing you the best of luck, or, better luck than I've had with the bra debacle.
She could have never lifted her arms up high enough to put that type on. She can barely get a loose pullover shirt on.
Her range of motion is extremely limited. She did several rounds of home health and rehab with tons of physical and occupational therapy which did help some but not a whole lot as far as increasing her range of motion. It did build up a little strength and flexibility.
It’s awkward because mom has horrible balance due to her Parkinson’s disease so she is a high fall risk. She fell at the slightest feeling of being off balance.
It’s hard when there are mobility issues.
https://coolgearhq.com/products/new-2020-invisible-lift-up-bra?variant=31653335072840
There might be other variants on this.
Also, I wear a "tube top."
https://www2.hm.com/en_us/search-results.html?q=tube+top
Or maybe she'd like a bathing suit or sports top... secret color under her clothes and not feeling so naked when she gets undressed!
She might more readily accept a suggestion from someone in her age group. Do you have any such resources; does she have a good friend?
My mom wore a bra everyday of her life. I tried the undershirts with her but didn’t work. In her advanced age the bras were very difficult to fit.
I found that Layne Bryant has a nice front closure bra (lots of hooks though 7 on mine) but they are comfortable.
On line I did check out the one mentioned by leaonnie1 and I will have to try it on next time I go to Walmart. (less hooks)
there is no way I would ever be able to use one that pulled over my head and I have never been able to Hook it in front of you and pull it to the back and slip in your arms.
I recently had hand surgery and even the front closure is difficult now so I have been going "au naturale" and it reminds me of a joke I read...
A married man thinks he will give his wife a birthday surprise by buying her a bra. He enters a lingerie shop and rather intimidated the saleswoman takes charge.
What color she asks. He settles on white.
All that remained was the size and he did not have the faintest idea.
Now sir asks the sales woman are they the size of melons?, coconuts? grape fruit?
Oh no nothing like that he says
Come on sir there must be something that your wife's bust reminds you of.
He thinks long and hard then looks up and says...Have you ever seen a Cocker Spaniels ears?
sorry ...just had to include that!
Why not just a camisole with soft bra built into it or tank top unde her blouseor shirts.
Im 77 and that what I do..and no one seems to know the difference...why
Force a 95 year old to do ...but what she wants...
I’d suggest that you look beyond the usual lingerie brands and look instead at the yoga / running wear stores. They carry all sorts of open front. Although they are not quite what most of us think of as a “bra”.
The top of the line imho is Lululemons Elite front close, it’s abt $100 but, but, but actually has 2 fully designed and separate cages for your girls, which most other brands do not. Hence the price tag. It’s phenomenal, lots of support in front & to your back as well. It doesn’t compress your tits totally; you still have profile to your breasts. & you can sleep in it comfortably if need be.
There’s also Yvette and Spring Seaon, they are both yoga running wear and carry front closure bras for bigger sizes. Yvette has a double decker one that layers the fabric so it looks more traditional bra. Their prices are less than 1/2 of lululemons. I’ve had my Elite 3 yrs and she’s still good, while the Yvette ones have been replaced. The less expensive ones do compress more ime.
For more bra type, look at Glamorize, theirs have front side hook & eye & slide in synchers. I’ve never bought from them, but it’s very old school bra design. At 95 she might not be ok for switching to active wear type of design on her bra.
She owned three dresses that she rotated. When they wore out, mom sewed her three new ones.
She lived very simply and was one of the happiest people that I have ever known.
She loved dots or small floral prints. Every time I see those patterns I think of my grandmother.