The wrong trousers

northumbrian_k

Volunteer Host
Mar 2, 2017
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Newcastle
My wife has more clothes than some high street shops - let's say John Lewis to be topical - so why am I thinking about buying her more? In response to a call from her care home for more trousers - preferably of the easy to put on, elasticated waist, jogging type - an extensive search of her wardrobes has drawn a blank. I found many pairs of jeans and some really smart and lightweight dressy trousers.
Most have somewhat complicated buttons, hook and eye fastenings and zips. Difficult to put on or take down in an urgent situation and offering too much opportunity for fiddling, they are not really suitable for the way she lives now. It is important that she is both clean and smart (and the staff make sure she is) but this seems like a case of the wrong trousers. I have name tagged a few pairs that might be described as 'easy' and will take them and some toiletries when I visit tomorrow. But later I'll be looking to spend some of her accumulated personal allowance on a few new pairs. Being a carer doesn't stop when full time residential care begins, only the job description changes.
 

Andy54

Registered User
Sep 24, 2020
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I had very much the same problem when my wife recently went into residential care. 90% of her vast clothing collection would be unsuitable for the circumstances. I found suitable trousers online at Rival Clothing. Not exactly fashion items but ideal for care home situation. D would have been horrified at the thought of wearing something like this in the past but seems quite comfortable in them now.
 

lollyc

Registered User
Sep 9, 2020
947
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I found Damart and Cotton Traders quite good. Elastic waist etc, but some are very smart - not just the jogger type. Mum used to be such a snappy dresser, but is now not concerned about her appearance.
 

margherita

Registered User
May 30, 2017
3,280
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Italy, Milan and Acqui Terme
I hope my husband will go into care by the end of the summer, because I can't cope with him any more.
I have been buying him all what he may need when he is in the care home, so that I won't have to rush things when the time comes . Re trousers I am buying only those with elasticated waist, which he would have never worn when he didn't have dementia.
 

northumbrian_k

Volunteer Host
Mar 2, 2017
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Newcastle
Thanks for your suggestions @Andy54 and @lollyc I'll follow these up to see if there's any to fit my petite wife.

Good to hear from you @margherita and that you have made a decision and some progress towards full time care. You have had a difficult time over a long period. I hope that all goes to plan.
 

Lynmax

Registered User
Nov 1, 2016
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Your post reminded me of the mountains of clothes we threw away when emptying mums clothes during the first lockdown, no charity shops were open so we had no choice but to use the skip. It was such a shame but like your wife, mum had very different clothing needs in her care home.

Mind you, the trousers we bought her seem to be very popular with the other residents as mum is rarely seen wearing them! She just wears anything even though as a tall person, most of them are at half mast and look silly on her. But she seems able to hang on to her tops so does look smart from the waist up!

I’m about to buy her some more clothes and most will come from Cotton Traders as their clothes are very comfortable to wear, wash well and and reasonably priced. Mum loves their polo neck jumpers and thin fleeces.
 

lollyc

Registered User
Sep 9, 2020
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I found Mountain Warehouse very good for reasonably priced fleece tops. Easy to put on / take off and wash and dry in next to no time. And a good range of colours.
 

Jessbow

Registered User
Mar 1, 2013
5,678
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Midlands
If she is petite and liked her jeans, P & Co, (which it the clothing line in poundland) do some fab pull up jeggins I think they are called- all sorts of colours as well as denim Blue.

might be worth a try at £7 a pair- they wash well, I live in them at home, They are really quite stretchy
 

northumbrian_k

Volunteer Host
Mar 2, 2017
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Newcastle
If she is petite and liked her jeans, P & Co, (which it the clothing line in poundland) do some fab pull up jeggins I think they are called- all sorts of colours as well as denim Blue.

might be worth a try at £7 a pair- they wash well, I live in them at home, They are really quite stretchy
Well she is normally a size 8 or even a children's size but the staff told me when visiting today that her trousers no longer fit due to her putting on some weight. She likes her food and is not doing much in the way of exercise. Maybe size 10-12 is indicated.
 

Izzy

Volunteer Moderator
Aug 31, 2003
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Dundee
I used to get my mum elasticed waist trousers from M&S. They always looked smart but were very easy to manage when I need to manage things - if you see what I mean!
 

Lone Wolf

Registered User
Sep 20, 2020
195
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Last year one of the carer's at A's nursing home asked me if I could buy a couple of skirts. So successful that all I buy now is maxi and midi skirts with elasticated waists and no buttons or zips so that there is no discomfit whichever way the carers put them on, A being wheelchair bound. So easy for the carers to get on and off, and look nice on A too.
 
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Jale

Registered User
Jul 9, 2018
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We get mum;s trousers from Damart as they are elasticated waist, because she is incontinent we did buy her a size larger to allow for the incontinence pad.
 

Jessbow

Registered User
Mar 1, 2013
5,678
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Midlands
Well she is normally a size 8 or even a children's size but the staff told me when visiting today that her trousers no longer fit due to her putting on some weight. She likes her food and is not doing much in the way of exercise. Maybe size 10-12 is indicated.
10 would be ample as they are stretchy
 

imthedaughter

Registered User
Apr 3, 2019
944
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I have bought dad a lot of stuff from Cotton Traders as he used to shop there anyway. He always wore thick corduroy trousers with a belt and being now dressed by others this is not ideal so I did an order not too long ago for loungewear type clothing and lots of underwear.
The staff told me to buy a size up for him - anything tight is hard to get onto a resistant naked man after a bath!
 

Agzy

Registered User
Nov 16, 2016
3,777
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Moreton, Wirral. UK.
When I first met Pauline over 25 years ago she was a size 8 and in spite of amazing fluctuations in size/weight over the years (she is now 16/18) and wardrobe clear outs she still hangs on to many ‘favourites’ even though they will never be worn again. She now favours the Cotton Traders/Damart styles from their catalogues but all to often insists on buying items she will never wear.
 

jennifer1967

Registered User
Mar 15, 2020
23,135
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Southampton
When I first met Pauline over 25 years ago she was a size 8 and in spite of amazing fluctuations in size/weight over the years (she is now 16/18) and wardrobe clear outs she still hangs on to many ‘favourites’ even though they will never be worn again. She now favours the Cotton Traders/Damart styles from their catalogues but all to often insists on buying items she will never wear.
im not sure if thats a dementia thing or a woman thing @Agzy. i do it and i have problems in taking the labels off so i can wear them. i have things that have still got their labels on that i brought in 2006
 

northumbrian_k

Volunteer Host
Mar 2, 2017
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Newcastle
There are quite a few bargains and/or must haves that my wife bought, never wore, left the labels on and forgot about. I have ordered what look like some smart pull-on trousers that I hope will fit her. If not they can always be returned. I might look to see if there are any to suit me ...
 

northumbrian_k

Volunteer Host
Mar 2, 2017
4,415
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Newcastle
Following on from recommendations I ordered 4 different coloured pairs of pull-on trousers in 3 different styles. They were dispatched within 1 day by Cotton Traders and I dropped them at my wife's home midweek. At today's visit they were confirmed to be a good fit - she had one pair on - and we completed this successful trouser drop by adding name labels.
20210508_141031.jpg
 

jennifer1967

Registered User
Mar 15, 2020
23,135
0
Southampton
Following on from recommendations I ordered 4 different coloured pairs of pull-on trousers in 3 different styles. They were dispatched within 1 day by Cotton Traders and I dropped them at my wife's home midweek. At today's visit they were confirmed to be a good fit - she had one pair on - and we completed this successful trouser drop by adding name labels.View attachment 64230
very nice. can add personal shopper to your cv. im impressed, not sure my husband would know what to get