Why would someone with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) otherwise known as "Lou Gehrig's disease", need a special type of clothing?


ALS is a progressive, degenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. As a result, there is impairment of voluntary muscle function that leads to muscle weakness in the hands, arms and legs as well as difficulty swallowing in the early stages of the disease and eventual paralysis as the disease reaches its final stages.


It is the goal of Buck and Buck to preserve independence in dressing, one of the important activities of daily living, for as long as possible. Depending upon the individual's functional level, various items of our assisted dressing and adaptive clothing collection would be useful to the person with the disease as well as to the caregiver who may be caring for the person at home, in assisted living or in a nursing home.

You need to know the functional ability of the person with ALS so that you can choose the appropriate, easy wear clothing. For example, if the person has weakness in the hands, VelcroŽ closures or zippers may be the items you need to look for in our adaptive clothing in order for the person to maintain independence in dressing. If the person is confined to a wheelchair and cannot dress her or himself, our open back clothing would be appropriate. This clothing design looks like everyday clothing, but is more comfortable for the wearer because the clothing goes on easily and doesn't bunch up at the back. The clothing is also much easier for the caregiver in dressing and providing personal care to the patient with ALS.
Often the person with ALS has difficulty swallowing that will cause drooling and spilling of food and liquids from the mouth. Our protective bibs are helpful in preserving dignity of the person with this disability of ALS by helping them to prevent their clothing from becoming soiled.

When you call us to order clothing, let us know if you need help in deciding which clothing would be the most appropriate. We are always glad to help you out.

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