When you have any kind of disability, daily living tasks can be difficult or even nearly impossible to do. One big problem can be getting dressed. If you have severe arthritis in your hands or any other disability that affects your hands, buttons can be hard to grasp, let alone fasten, and zippers can require too much force to pull up. Wearing pull over tops and pants with elastic waistbands is one way to deal with the problem with buttons and zippers, having people help you dress is another. However, wearing those kinds of clothes and needing help to do such a simple task can be very frustrating, and take away some sense of independence. Luckily there are aids that you can use which will help you get dressed easier. 

Button/Zipper Hooks

While these things can be two separate tools, they are often combined into one tool. Having one tool is easier on you because you don't have to keep track of two things. A button/zipper hook is very simple. The tool has a large chunky handle that is easy for disabled hands to grasp. The way that it works is that there is a thin metal piece that gets inserted through the button hole. The metal piece may form an elongated circle that you can use to hook over the button, or may have a hook on the end which will let you grab the button. Once you have it hooked, you can pull the button through the button hole. The hook will also grab onto the hole in the zipper pull and let you pull it up easier. 

Sock/Shoe Aids

Putting on socks and shoes is another big problem. One tool can really help you with that. For socks you slide the sock over one end. The tool holds the sock wide open and is shaped somewhat like a slide with long handles on the side. You just slip your foot into the open end of the sock and grab the handles. As you push your foot into the sock you also pull the handles on the tool. The combination of the two actions gets the sock onto your foot. You can use the same tool on your shoes to get them on as well. 

Getting dressed on your own when you are disabled is one way to still have some kind of independence. Having handicapped equipment and supplies which give you that independence is important.