The effects of stroke on dressing
- Hemiparesis – Weakness on one side of the body will make dressing very difficult, as dressing is a bilateral task
- Apraxia - Inability to plan out movements will cause difficulty – eg jumpers will get put on back to front and arms put into wrong sleeves
- Cognitive awareness – all aspects of reduced cognitive awareness will cause the patient difficulties in deciding what to wear and how to sequence putting on clothes
- Sensory awareness – Patients may have difficulty in feeling clothes and may have visual problems locating them
- Neglect – Not being aware of or attending to the affected side can making dressing more difficult
- Fatigue – Dressing is a lengthy and complex process, which causes fatigue. Careful monitoring should take place with frequent rest breaks and prompting as required
- Mood – Patients may become frustrated and upset if they find dressing difficult; the level of prompting and support must be monitored
