Specialized Clothing Features

Who would use a house dress that opens down the back? Any woman who needs assistance dressing would find our open back (snap back) house dress a helpful addition to her closet. All of our open back house dresses, day dresses and dusters are easy to put on because the snaps open completely down the back making it much easier for a caregiver to assist the woman to dress without having to pull or tug to get the dress on.

The woman may remain in a seated position or even recline on her bed while the caregiver puts the dress on and then gently helps the woman to sit or turn over onto her side while the dress is positioned for snap closure up the back of the dress. You should also know that our snaps are placed strategically to avoid pressure points on the body while sitting or lying down. This makes the dress much more comfortable for the wearer.

In addition to our dress collection, you should also look at our many other special closure garments to make up a complete wardrobe of appropriate clothing for the woman you are shopping for. Please also browse through our entire collection for other dressing solutions.

What does Buck and Buck carry in Velcro® clothing? Buck and Buck carries a wide range of clothing with VELCRO® brand closures which encourages independent dressing for many of our elderly and disabled customers. We may equate the use of hook and loop closures with kid’s clothing, however, it has become very popular with adults, particularly in the footwear, jackets, and sportswear line. It was originally used for kids to help them to dress themselves, particularly with shoes and sneakers since tying laces is difficult for children who are still developing fine motor skills and coordination. However, VELCRO® brand closures were then put into outerwear like jackets to make dressing easier and faster for everyone.

Buck and Buck has expanded the use of VELCRO® brand closures in the adult clothing line for some of the same reasons it is used for kids. Finger dexterity can be diminished in the elderly. This may be due to the normal process of aging or from a medical condition, so easy closure garments are helpful to them providing independence in dressing which is so important to seniors and disabled adults. If dressing cannot be done independently, hook and loop closures make the process easier for the caregivers and less stressful for the one receiving the help.

As we age, diminished hand strength can cause difficulty in manipulation of buttons, snaps and zippers. Hook and loop closures on garments may make the difference in the maintenance of independence in the daily dressing task. It is important to assess the dressing problems that your loved one has encountered and then talk with our customer service people to let them help you choose the right clothing.

Individuals with medical conditions such as arthritis, multiple sclerosis, stroke, or upper limb amputation could also benefit from VELCRO® brand closures on clothing, allowing the individual to dress themselves or with little assistance. Some medical conditions as well as a sedentary lifestyle may cause swelling of the feet. VELCRO® brand closures on our footwear for men and women will accommodate mild to severe degrees of swelling.

We offer VELCRO® brand closures on our clothing because often this addition will be the solution for an elderly person to be able to dress independently. We substitute VELCRO® brand closures for buttons, snaps, and zippers if adapting the garment will be helpful to the wearer and to the caregiver. Many times the VELCRO® brand fly closure adaptation for the man will be the answer to his "incontinence" problem. Incontinence may not have been the problem after all, but he just wasn't able to quickly access the zipper on the fly opening.

We have many choices in our velcro fly pants, cargo pants, jeans, shorts, see this link for a full look at the line. If you see a particular style in our catalog and you need to have hook and loop closures added, let us know.

VELCRO® is a registered trademark of Velcro Industries B.V.

One of our most popular clothing alterations has been the VELCRO® fly closures on our pants. The traditional zipper is removed and replaced with VELCRO® strips. This alteration has allowed the man with mobility and/or hand dexterity issues to dress himself and toilet without assistance.

Another advantage of this alteration is that the pants now have no metal for those individuals who cannot wear clothing with metal zippers, snaps or grommets. We can make this alteration on any of our pants but we do offer many styles with the alteration already done from the casual look to the more dressy pant. Dressing is easy and quick and no one need know of the adaptation!

Dependence upon someone to assist those with toileting and personal care needs can be difficult. We have designed some clothing styles that will make that process a bit easier on those who have this need.

Our adaptive slacks have bilateral, 22 inch long zippers which make dressing easier and also make the transfer from wheelchair to toilet less of a struggle. Why? Our long, bilateral zippers allow the caregiver to unzip the pants while you are seated. The long zippers, when in the open position will allow the pants to fall low enough for you to sit on the toilet without having to struggle.

We also have a design called the back flap pants for men and women who may need assistance in toileting. This design has a "flap" of material that will cover the buttocks while in a standing position and comfortably tuck down in the back while seated in a wheelchair. There are two snaps at the waistband to secure the flap. The snaps can be unfastened and the material moved out of the way for toileting ease.

If the woman who needs toileting assistance is confined to a wheelchair or recliner and cannot stand alone, our cut-away dress design may be the most helpful. This dress design looks like an ordinary dress, but the seat panel is cut out completely allowing for very easy toileting and personal care.
Take a look through our catalog for other helpful designs and remember that all of our clothing is machine washable.

For the non-ambulatory person only! Snaps down the back and the cut-out seat allow for easy toileting and personal care. If not offered, we an do this for any rear closure dress style. Look through our catalog!

Visual guide: Please see below the front and rear views of the Cut-Away Dress.

Front view Rear view

Our specialty is adaptive clothing. Snap back blouses are one item in our collection. All of those blouses open down the back and close with snaps that are strategically placed to avoid pressure points when a woman is sitting in a wheelchair, recliner or lying in bed. Our materials are easy wear, washable and made of cotton/poly or polyester. Note that any garment that we have may be adapted to a snap back item. Let us know what your need is.

Buck and Buck has a wide variety of shirts with VELCRO® brand front closures. We carry both dress and casual shirts with this adaptation. The button remains on the front of the shirt, but a hook and loop tab is hidden on the placard making the closures much more manageable, yet the shirt looks normal. The VELCRO® front closure shirts are very popular with our men who have problems with finger dexterity from the result of a stroke, Parkinson’s, MS (multiple sclerosis), ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) arthritis and myriad of other medical conditions.

We also can convert some of our cardigans to VELCRO® front closures if the material will accommodate the tenacity of the VELCRO®. Our women’s blouses may also be converted with this adaptation if needed.

Look through our catalog and then let our customer service representatives assist you with your special needs.

Does Buck and Buck carry special closure clothes? Buck and Buck does carry several styles of special closure clothes for adults. Our number one style of special closure clothes is the open back (sometimes referred to as the snap back) design. This design is very helpful for the adult who needs assistance in dressing due to disabilities. Our open back special closure clothing has strategically placed snaps that avoid pressure points when the individual is sitting down. This is important for the person who spends most of the time in a chair or wheelchair.

Another of our popular special closure clothes is the side zip pants. Our design is unique in that the pants have 22" long zippers down both side seams to allow for easier chair to toilet transfers and easier dressing while the person is in a lying or seated position. Most other companies have shorter zippers that make the process of dressing more difficult. If you prefer snaps to zippers, we also have that type of adaptive pant for women and men.

VELCRO® brand closures is another of our widely used special closure clothing adaptations. For example, we will use VELCRO® brand closures to replace the zippers in the fly openings of our men’s pants. This allows the man to dress and toilet himself without assistance. We also use hook and loop closures behind the buttons on the plackets of shirts and blouses to help the person with arthritis or other issues of finger dexterity to be able to "button" their own shirts. Our shoes and slippers for women and men have hook and loop closures that foster independent dressing and in some of our styles, accommodate the feet with issues of edema.

Buck and Buck is happy to alter any of our designs to meet the needs of our customers and if you have a dressing issue and need a specific special closure clothing item, let us know and we'll work with you.

What is Open Back Clothing? Open Back Clothing is a design of adaptive clothing that "opens" down the back of the garment through the use of zippers, snaps or VELCRO® brand closures. The garments give the appearance of everyday clothing, but the open back design helps the caregiver to dress the elderly or handicapped person with more ease and avoid a struggle in the dressing process. Some of the open back designs will snap at the shoulder which avoids any pressure points on the back. Buck and Buck has both the shoulder snap and the full, open back design garments to choose from.

Why should you choose open back clothing? Seniors or handicapped adults who need assistance dressing by a caregiver and who have difficulty raising their arms above the head or have to struggle to get the elbow in line with the shoulder would benefit from open back clothing.

Seniors who have arthritis and cannot lift their arms would benefit from open back clothing. Seniors who may have had a stroke causing limitations in mobility or partial or complete paralysis would benefit from open back clothing.

Seniors who have disabilities from diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis, ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) often called "Lou Gehrig’s disease", Myasthenia Gravis or Poliomyelitis which limit their ability to ambulate and require the use of walkers, wheelchairs or confinement to bed would benefit from our open back designs.

Seniors who may be residing in homecare, assisted living, nursing homes, or rehabilitation facilities may be candidates for the open back clothing designs that we offer for women and men at Buck and Buck. Please also note that any of our garments in our catalog may be converted to the open back design.

Just ask us to make the alteration for you. Let us help you find the most suitable adaptive clothing for your senior.

The casual look of a t-shirt is perfect for so many occasions. Don't let the need for an adaptive t-shirt stop you. We carry both snap back and open back t-shirts all year long since adaptive clothing is our specialty. Our t-shirts are made of 100% cotton, ensuring the colors will not fade. They wash and wear beautifully, and the price is right! Choose from solid colors or a wide selection of fun prints in both long and short sleeve. Any of our t-shirts can be adapted to either an open back or snap back version—just ask us.

The benefits of an adaptive back design are that women who need assisted dressing due to a medical condition, handicap, or restricted mobility—whether temporary or permanent—may be dressed with less stress on them or their caregiver.

We offer two open back variations:

• Snap Back opens completely down the length of the garment with easy-to-use snaps, making seated dressing effortless.
• Wrap Back features shoulder snaps and a few additional snaps down the back for a secure yet convenient fit.
  

Both styles make dressing easy while maintaining the casual and comfortable feel of a t-shirt. Take a look through our catalog for many other great dressing solutions.

Shoulder snap clothes are helpful when the man or women cannot dress independently. Most of the time our snap back designs are suitable, but sometimes the need for an overlap of fabric that snaps at the shoulder is best. For example, those individuals who are extremely sensitive to any pressure point at all on the back. For the women we have dresses, dusters, slips, sweaters, knit sets and nightwear. For the gentlemen our snap back designs should be suitable for dressing ease, but we do have shoulder snap nightshirts and t-shirts. Take a look through our catalog for other dressing solutions.

Our unique side zip design that features the 22 inch long, bilateral zippers are available on our men’s and women’s fashions. This long side zipper feature allows the pants to be opened to below the knees for ease of dressing, toileting and personal care without a struggle. Both the garment wearer and caregiver appreciate the design of these pants. Look for the AD symbol in our web catalog.

The casual look of a t-shirt is perfect for so many occasions. Don't let the need for a snap back t-shirt stop you. We carry snap back t-shirts all year long since adaptive clothing is our specialty. Our t-shirts are made of 100% cotton and the colors will not fade. They wash and wear beautifully and the price is right! Choose from solid colors or a wide selection of fun prints. Any of our t-shirts can be adapted to a snap back version so just ask us.

The benefits of a snap back design are that the man who needs assisted dressing due to medical condition, handicap or restricted mobility whether temporary or permanent, may be dressed with less stress on him or his caregiver. Our snap back designs open down the entire length of the garment and make seated dressing very easy. Browse through our catalog for many other dressing solutions.

Looking for men's pants that are metal free? We have them! Many of our pants have had the zippers replaced with VELCRO® brand fly closures to help in dressing and toileting needs for the man who has difficulty manipulating zippers, but the pants also work well for the man who cannot wear metal. We have a great selection in casual and dress pants, so take a look!

See our full catalog for other helpful clothing solutions!

What is Snap Back Clothing? Snap Back Clothing is a design of clothing for women and men that "opens" down the back of the garment through the use of zippers, snaps, or VELCRO® brand closures. The garments give the appearance of everyday clothing, but the snap back design helps the caregiver to dress the elderly person with more ease and avoid a struggle in the dressing process.

Why should you choose snap back clothing? Seniors who need the assistance of a caregiver to dress and who have difficulty raising their arms above the head or have to struggle to get the elbow to the level of the shoulder would benefit from snap back clothing.

Seniors who have arthritis and cannot lift their arms would benefit from snap back clothing. Since the garments completely open down the back, the senior’s arms may be gently placed into the armhole openings from the front and then the garments are pulled up over the shoulders and into place while the individual remains in a seated position.

Seniors or other adults who may have had a stroke causing limitations in mobility or partial or complete paralysis would benefit from snap back clothing. The caregiver uses the same technique described in the previous paragraph which eases the dressing process when the victim of a stroke cannot assist with this activity of daily living.

Seniors who have disabilities from diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis, ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) often called "Lou Gehrig’s disease", Myasthenia Gravis, or Poliomyelitis which limit their ability to ambulate and require the use of walkers, wheelchairs, or confinement to bed would benefit from our snap back designs. Skin care and personal care may be administered more easily when the bedridden individual is wearing a snap back garment. This point can be very important to the caregiver. Keep in mind that sometimes a senior may benefit from temporary use of snap back garments when an injury occurs, like a broken arm. Depending upon the level of break and length of cast, it may be easier for the senior to wear garments that can be donned with the arms placed in a forward position.

Seniors who may be residing in homecare, assisted living, nursing homes, or rehabilitation facilities may be candidates for the snap back clothing designs that we offer at Buck and Buck.

Let us help you find the most suitable and adaptive clothing for your senior.

What easy wear clothing items do Buck and Buck feature? Easy wear, easy care clothing are descriptions that fit the entire Buck and Buck garment line. We started our business because it was difficult to find easy wear clothing that was of good quality and appropriate in style for residents in nursing homes. Our clothing styles have since become very popular with independent seniors as well as those who need some help in getting dressed. Our customers live in a variety of housing situations from home care to nursing homes.

Buck and Buck clothing is easy to wear because it goes on smoothly. No struggling because zippers are too short or elastic doesn't give enough. Our clothing pulls on over the head, can be stepped into, or pulls up easily. The openings are generously cut, yet the garments fit well. We also feature VELCRO® brand closures when needed to make the easy wear clothing items even more so, like substituting these closures for buttons, snaps or zippers. Our footwear is considered to be of the easy wear type because of the hook and loop closures and slip on styles.

The easy wear clothing description applies because we choose fabric that, for the most part, can be worn right out of the dryer. The garments are cut to look stylish yet provide comfort for someone confined to a wheelchair or bed. Our easy wear clothing features an adaptive clothing line for women and for men that has generous side zippers and a variety of open back styles to suit the seniors who cannot dress themselves or who need the help of a caregiver in the dressing process.

Buck and Buck clothing is also considered to be easy care because it is tested in the harsh laundry systems of nursing homes to make certain that the garments will launder well and be able to be worn right out of the dryer. Let us know if there are other important features that you are looking for in easy wear clothing.