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This may seem minor but thought there might be others who would like to share their experiences. My mother who is in AL tends to wear the same clothes over and over. Went over there today to organize. Pants she couldn't find were hung under tops. Even though they do laundry she has to give it to them so I brought a pile back that had stains that needed treating. She was never good with clothing. Growing up everything was sent out to be laundered. We lived with a broken washing machine that was never fixed. Managed to throw away 3 tops. Had just bought her a new one. Lots of clothing in the closet for when she is going to lose weight. Have heard that for decades. She is overweight yet always cold so is dressed as though she is in Maine in January. We are in SC. Not really a question but just wondered how others might cope with this issue.

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They do Mom's laundry too and I can't help but feel that she has less in her closest than when she moved in. I need to go in and go through her closet and reorganize it.
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Riverdale Jul 2018
Its a crisis if they ruin or lose something. They will reimburse but it is hard to find clothes that fit or for her to level with me about whether she really wears things that I never see her in.
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If the AL does her laundry, like my moms NH, why don’t the aides who help her get changed for bed discard her worn clothes into the used laundry bins? Have you asked them to or is it an additional charge?? Moms laundry does come back with slacks hanging under tops so I do seperate them daily just so I know they haven’t lost any slacks. If her closet is well organized it’s easier for the morning aids to help her dress.
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Riverdale Jul 2018
She is just so resistant. They told me they would like her to change more so I went again and organized. It just is what it is and of course there are more pressing problems. I just wondered if others had issues such as this. I think it seems as though it is becoming hard to make simple choices and then the air conditioning makes her so cold although she has so much body weight. It is so hard to find clothes that fit her. Anyway just venting.
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Does she have a laundry hamper? my mom has a tall plastic one with a handle on wheels. with her name/room#  I wish I could see what my mom does when im not there...hmmm

ive cleaned and organized her closet here and there, because it gets a little chaotic.
its hard to do it tho with her watching me. because she'll tell me NOT to do it, that she will do it later....

I think my mom has favorite shirts and she only has a couple pairs of jeans. I only see her twice a week, and I can not remember each time what she was wearing.

I do notice sometimes she may wear a certain shirt more often than others. I think its just a mistake on her part, since she can not remember.

I don't know. as long as she looks ok. I don't care if she repeats. her memory and judgement is so bad, I wouldn't be surprised if she puts *clean* clothes in the hamper.

and yes over time everything she has seems to have stains.........if I notice something bad, I take it home to wash. otherwise I just let it go...
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Riverdale Jul 2018
Yes she has a hamper. I see many other residents who look decent and some dress nicely. I am embarrased at how my mother often looks and she wants everything in her closet to remain. I have organized it many times. Just another cross to bear but some stories here truly make me shudder. But I have lived with years of dysfunction.
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When Mom was in the AL I was 5 minutes away so I did her wash. I put a clothes basket in her closet. All I had to do was grab the basket. A smaller one for wet towels. I washed once a week. Mom had nine outfits, slacks and tops. I always left two outfits. One for the next day and the other in case of accidents. Mom didn't dress herself. I hung a pair of slacks on the hanger and a folded top over it. Was easy for CNAs and I could keep track of her clothes. When she went to the NH I took pictures of everything I took. Still hung outfits together but they washed. Pictures helped me prove she was missing an item and made it easier for laundress to find it.
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Riverdale, I guess I’m still a little confused...if the staff wants her to change more, why aren’t they washing the clothes she just removed at night? Each day’s worn clothes should be put in the laundry hamper by the aides.

At Moms NH each resident is dressed nicely, in clean clothes that go together, even jewelry, scarves, flower clips in their hair. It’s the aides responsibility to make them look good and they take pride in it. They often ask me “how do you like moms outfit today?” Or “How did I do this morning?” Some residents have favorite shirts etc, and may wear them frequently, but they always have been washed between wearings. If your Mom can’t figure out how to do this anymore, I think she should be getting more “assistance” or encouragement/coaxing (or perhaps insistence that she can’t wear soiled clothes) from the AL aides.
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Fewer clothes will make it easier, IMO you need to bite the bullet and clean out her closet - do it when she isn't there, she must leave the room sometimes. If she starts to obsess about her missing clothes tell her they are in the laundry or they needed a new button or the hem was falling down....
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My loved one was constantly taking all her clothes out of closet and her drawers and made piles in room. She made big messes and changed clothes numerous times a day. The piles were trip hazards. We took out the chest of drawers out and put a in small 3 shelf bookcase. And her clothes moved to a locked closet in a hallway. She's mad occasionally about her clothes but its made it better. I know it's drastic, but for us and her living facility it made it safer. But she also was hiding food in her drawers.
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