How to Help Someone With Alzheimer's Get Dressed: Caregiver Tips

Many aspects of daily care are challenging when it comes to helping a loved one who is living with dementia or Alzheimer’s. We spoke with Hadi Finerty, the Senior Manager of Education & Community Volunteers at Alzheimer's Association Illinois Chapter, who gave us some practical tips for Alzheimer's caregivers around some common challenges caregivers face when helping their loved ones get dressed and undressed.

Helping someone with Alzheimer's get dressed can become more difficult as the disease progresses.

Someone may become overwhelmed by a full closet, forget the order in which clothes go on, struggle with buttons they once used without thinking, refuse an outfit or become upset when someone tries to help.

To better understand how caregivers can respond, Joe & Bella spoke with Hadi Finerty, Senior Manager of Education & Community Volunteers at the Alzheimer's Association Illinois Chapter.

Hadi shared practical strategies based on her professional work with families and her own experience helping care for her grandmother, who lived with Alzheimer's.

Many of the challenges change as dementia progresses, so the amount of help that works today may need to change over time.

Quick Guide: Making Dressing Easier With Alzheimer's

When helping someone with Alzheimer's get dressed:

• Reduce the number of clothing choices
• Offer one or two options rather than an entire closet
• Lay clothes out in the order they should be worn
• Give one short instruction at a time
• Allow the person to complete whatever steps they still can
• Choose comfortable clothing that is easy to manage
• Pay attention to signs that clothing may hurt or feel irritating
• Be flexible about matching and personal style
• Increase assistance gradually as needs change

Above all, avoid turning getting dressed into a test the person has to pass.

The goal is to help them participate as much as they comfortably can.

Challenge 1: Too Many Clothing Choices

What You May Notice

A person who previously chose their own clothes easily may begin:

• Standing in front of the closet without choosing anything
• Changing their mind repeatedly
• Becoming frustrated
• Refusing to get dressed
• Putting together unusual combinations
• Becoming overwhelmed when asked, “What do you want to wear?”

A closet contains many small decisions, and those decisions can become harder as Alzheimer's progresses.

What to Try

Simplify the choices rather than taking choice away immediately.

Earlier in the disease, you might offer a few appropriate options.

As choosing becomes more difficult, narrow that to two outfits.

Later, you may need to select the outfit and present the clothing one piece at a time.

The Alzheimer's Association similarly recommends reducing excess clothing in the closet and, when appropriate, offering two choices rather than an overwhelming number of options.

Expert Insight

Hadi explained that four outfits can become too many choices for someone in the later stages of dementia.

The number itself is less important than the principle:

Give enough choice to preserve participation without providing so many options that choosing becomes frustrating.

Challenge 2: They Don't Remember How to Get Dressed

What You May Notice

Someone may:

• Put clothing on backward
• Try to put an arm through the wrong opening
• Forget which garment comes next
• Stop halfway through dressing
• Hold an article of clothing without knowing what to do with it
• Put several items on in the wrong order

Getting dressed involves a sequence of steps that most people perform automatically.

Alzheimer's can make that sequence harder to remember.

What to Try

Break the process into individual steps.

Instead of saying:

“Go get dressed.”

try:

“Put your arm in this sleeve.”

Then give the person time to process and complete that step before moving to the next one.

You can also lay clothing out in the order it should be put on and hand over one item at a time.

That approach is consistent with current Alzheimer's Association dressing guidance.

Challenge 3: Knowing When to Help and When to Step Back

One of the harder parts of caregiving is knowing how much help to provide.

Earlier in the Disease

If the person can still complete part of the task, give them the opportunity to do it.

They may still be able to:

• Choose between two shirts
• Put their arms into sleeves
• Pull up their pants
• Fasten a zipper
• Put on shoes

Even if it takes longer, completing part of the dressing routine independently can preserve participation in a familiar daily activity.

As More Assistance Is Needed

Gradually take over the steps that have become too difficult while leaving the person involved in the steps they can still manage.

For example, you might position a shirt and help guide an arm into the sleeve, then allow them to pull the shirt into place.

The goal is not maximum independence at all costs.

It is the appropriate level of independence for that person's abilities today.

Challenge 4: Buttons, Zippers and Other Fasteners Become Difficult

What You May Notice

A person may repeatedly:

• Miss buttons
• Fasten buttons into the wrong holes
• Leave a zipper open
• Become fixated on a fastener
• Give up halfway through dressing
• Become frustrated with clothing they once wore easily

Hadi noted that as Alzheimer's progresses, tasks involving fine motor skills can become increasingly difficult.

What to Try

Look for simpler clothing features.

Depending on the person's abilities, useful options may include:

• Elastic waistbands
• Larger zipper pulls
• Stretch fabrics
• Front-opening garments
• Easier closures
• Wider openings
• Adaptive clothing

Adaptive clothing should solve a specific dressing problem rather than simply replacing someone's entire wardrobe because they have Alzheimer's.

If someone still manages ordinary clothing comfortably, let them keep wearing it.

If one particular feature has become frustrating, address that feature.

What About Magnetic Clothing?

Magnetic button-down shirts can reduce the fine-motor work involved in fastening traditional buttons while preserving the appearance of a familiar shirt.

However, magnetic clothing is not appropriate for everyone.

People with pacemakers, ICDs or other implanted medical devices that may be affected by magnets should not wear magnetic closures unless their healthcare provider and device manufacturer confirm that doing so is safe.

Challenge 5: Clothes Suddenly Feel Uncomfortable

What You May Notice

Someone may:

• Pull repeatedly at a waistband
• Tug at a collar
• Refuse a specific shirt
• Become upset once dressed
• Fidget with seams
• Repeatedly remove an article of clothing

It can be easy to interpret this behavior as resistance.

But the clothing itself may be uncomfortable.

What to Try

Check:

• Does the clothing still fit?
• Is the waistband too tight?
• Is the person too warm?
• Is a seam or tag irritating them?
• Is the fabric uncomfortable?
• Does sitting change how the clothing fits?

Hadi shared an example from her work in which a man repeatedly complained of stomach pain, but the source eventually turned out to be a belt he was fastening too tightly.

The lesson is not that clothing explains every unexplained discomfort.

It is that someone with dementia may not always be able to clearly communicate why something feels wrong.

If behavior changes when a particular garment is worn, clothing comfort is worth checking.

Persistent or unexplained pain should still be discussed with a healthcare professional.

Challenge 6: Their Body or Mobility Has Changed

Alzheimer's is not always the only factor affecting dressing.

Someone may also be living with:

• Arthritis
• Weakness
• Limited shoulder movement
• Balance difficulties
• Reduced hand strength
• Difficulty bending
• Wheelchair use
• Other mobility changes

That means someone may understand perfectly well how to get dressed but no longer be able to perform every physical movement involved.

What to Try

Identify the movement that is difficult.

If bending is the problem, consider pants with wider openings or easier access.

If raising the arms is difficult, a front-opening top may be easier than a pullover.

If manipulating fasteners is difficult, consider simpler closures.

If the person dresses while seated, choose clothing that works well in that position.

The best solution starts with the specific barrier.

Challenge 7: Their Clothes Don't Match

A green pair of pants with a purple shirt may not be the outfit you would have chosen.

That does not necessarily make it a dressing problem.

Hadi emphasized flexibility based on her own caregiving experience with her grandmother.

If the clothing is:

• Appropriate for the weather
• Comfortable
• Clean
• Safe for the person's activities

then a mismatched outfit may be worth accepting.

Preserving someone's ability to make choices can matter more than creating the outfit a caregiver would have selected.

Challenge 8: They Want to Wear the Same Thing Every Day

Familiarity can become increasingly important.

If someone repeatedly chooses the same shirt or pants, fighting over the outfit every morning may create more stress than the clothing itself.

Consider buying duplicate or similar versions of a favorite item when practical.

The Alzheimer's Association specifically recommends flexibility when someone wants to wear the same outfit repeatedly, including purchasing duplicates or similar options.

Challenge 9: Dressing Leads to Agitation or Resistance

First Ask Why

When someone becomes upset during dressing, consider what the behavior may be communicating.

They may be:

• Confused about what is happening
• Uncomfortable
• Cold
• Tired
• Embarrassed
• Frustrated
• Overwhelmed by instructions
• Uncomfortable with another person helping with a private task

Before pushing ahead, reduce the pressure.

Slow down.

Use fewer words.

Give the person time to respond.

Try again later when possible.

Sometimes changing the process works better than trying harder to complete the same process.

What If Someone With Alzheimer's Keeps Taking Their Clothes Off?

Repeated undressing can happen for many reasons, including discomfort, temperature, toileting needs, confusion or problems with the clothing itself.

Because that behavior has several possible causes, the first step should be understanding why it is happening rather than immediately trying to prevent access to clothing.

Joe & Bella has a separate guide explaining why people with dementia may remove their clothing and what caregivers can consider when it becomes a recurring issue.

Choosing Clothing for Someone With Alzheimer's

Do not start with the diagnosis.

Start with the person.

Ask:

What did they like wearing before Alzheimer's?

Someone who spent decades wearing jeans and button-down shirts may still prefer that look.

Someone who always wore dresses may want to continue wearing dresses.

What part of dressing is difficult now?

Is it:

• Choosing an outfit?
• Remembering the order?
• Buttons?
• Bending?
• Pulling clothing overhead?
• Standing while dressing?
• Assisted dressing?

Can the clothing be adapted without changing their style?

Often it can.

Adaptive clothing can incorporate easier closures, flexible waistbands or accessible openings into clothing that still looks familiar.

That can allow the person to retain more of their existing style while adjusting to changing dressing needs.

Dressing Strategies by Stage

Alzheimer's does not progress identically for everyone, but the level of dressing support often changes over time.

Earlier Stage

Focus on:

• Maintaining independence
• Simplifying the closet
• Offering limited choices
• Giving extra time
• Introducing easier clothing features only where needed

Middle Stage

You may need to:

• Reduce choices further
• Lay out an entire outfit
• Give one instruction at a time
• Help with difficult fasteners
• Check clothing for signs of discomfort
• Provide more hands-on assistance

Later Stage

Dressing may become primarily an assisted activity.

Priorities may shift toward:

• Comfort
• Familiarity
• Simple routines
• Easy physical access
• Clothing that works well for assisted dressing
• Preserving privacy and dignity

These are general patterns rather than strict rules.

Support should be based on what the individual can comfortably do rather than solely on a dementia-stage label.The Goal Is Participation, Not Perfection

As Alzheimer's progresses, the dressing routine will probably change.

Some days a person may need only a reminder.

Other days they may need an outfit laid out.

Eventually they may need hands-on assistance with most of the process.

The caregiver's role is not to preserve the exact same dressing routine forever.

It is to keep adjusting the routine so the person can remain involved for as long as possible while staying comfortable and preserving their dignity.

As Hadi's advice makes clear, flexibility matters.

Give choices when choices are manageable.

Help when help is needed.

And if someone's clothes don't match perfectly but they successfully participated in getting dressed, that may still be a very successful morning.

A note from Joe & Bella: Our content is intended for general informational purposes only. While we share insights from our own Nurse Taylor and other health and wellness experts, please know that they are not your healthcare provider and nothing here should be taken as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Every person's situation is different. Please consult your own physician, nurse, or healthcare professional before making any decisions about your health or the care of a loved one.