DRESSING AID

DISPOSITIF POUR AIDER LES PERSONNES HANDICAPEES A S'HABILLER

English Abstract

ABSTRACT
A device for use by physically handicapped persons
to facilitate donning and removing socks or stockings. A pair
of small rods or the like are rolled into the top of the sock
and securely and releasably held in place by a pair of spring
clips each attached to an extension arm. The user pulls the
sock over the foot and when in place releases the spring clips
and removes the rods. One of the extension arms is preferably
provided with a flattened end to facilitate removal of the sock
and the other may be provided with a hook to facilitate retrie-
val of a discarded sock.

Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A device for use by physically handicapped persons
to facilitate donning a sock or stocking, comprising:
(a) retaining means for insertion into a sock adjacent
the open end thereof;
(b) an extension arm; and
(c) clip means mounted at one end of said extension
arm for releasably securing said retaining means in said
sock adjacent said open end thereof.
2. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said retain-
ing means comprises rod means for enclosure in a rolled top
of said sock.
3. A device as claimed in claim 2 wherein said clip
means comprises a spring clip superimposable on said rod
means contained in said rolled top.
4. A device for use by physically handicapped persons
to facilitate donning a sock or stocking, comprising a pair
of devices as claimed in claim 3 for mounting on opposite
sides of the open end of a sock.
5. A device as claimed in claim 4 wherein one of
said extension arms is provided with a flattened end to
facilitate removal of said sock.
6. A device as claimed in claim 4 or 5 wherein one
of said extension arms is provided with a hook at one end
thereof to facilitate retrieval of a discarded sock.

7. A device as claimed in claim 4 wherein said pair
of extension arms are operatively interconnected to
facilitate use by a one handed person.

Description

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This invention relates to a dressing aid for use by
elderly or physically handicapped persons. More particularly
this invention relates to a device to assist the user to don a
sock or stocking.
One of the most diff~cult garments to don unaided
is a sock or stocking because it requires considerable flexi-
bility of the back to reach down to the feet or considerable
flexibility of the knee and hip to ralse the foot to a position
where it can be reached manually. Many elderly and physicàlly
handicapped people lack the flexibility for the required
manoeuvers and while they may be able to don all or most of
their other garments, they experience considerable difficulty,
if indeed not total inability, in donning a sock or stocking
and they are therefore dependent upon outside assistance. As
is well known, dependence upon others for personal services
can be extre~ely frustrating to a handicapped person and thus
bad for his psycholo~ical well being. Provision of ~anipula-
tive aids to dressing are, therefore, of cons~derable value
for rehabilitative therapy and help to restore the h~ndicapped
person's sense of independence.
- Several devices to assist in putting on socks have
heretofoxe been sug~ested but all have certain disadvantages
of cost o~ co~plicati~n of construction and use so that none
is co~pletely satisfactory,
~ t is, therefore, an object of the present invention
to provide a simple, inexpensive device for use by a handi-
capped pers~n to assist ln donning a sock or stocking
By one aspect of the invention there is provided
a device for use by physically handicapped persons to facilitate
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donning a sock or stocking, comprising:
(a) retaining means for insertion into a sock adjacent
the open end thereof;
(b) an extension arm; and
! (c) clip means mounted at one end of said extension
arm for releasably securing said retaining means in said
sock adjacent said open end thereof.
The invention will be described in more detail
hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings `in
which:
Figure 1 is an isometric view of one embodiment of
the device of the present invention; and
Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view, taken along
line 2-2 of the device of Figure 1.
As is obvious, if a person cannot bend down to reach
his feet nor bend his leg sufficiently to bring his foot
; ~ ,
within reach of his hand, then it is necessary to provide
. a suita~le substantially rigid extension 1 which can be held -:
manually and which will thus bring the foot within reach. It
,~ 20 is then necessary to provide a means to releasably secure
': the extension 1 to a sock 2. As shown in Figures 1 and 2
1~ there i8 provided a clip 3, similar to that used for securing
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papers, and comprising a spring circlet 4 with lips 5 and
lever arms 6 and 7. Lever arm 6 is rigidly secured to one
end of the extension 1 and the lever arm 7 cooperates there-
i, .
; with to open and close lips 5 against the pressure of the
; spring 4. A short length of rod, dowel or the like 8 is
provided for clamping between lips 5 as explained in more .
~: detail hereinafter. The rod 8 may be fabricated in wood,
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1079238
metal, rubber or the like and may be either substantially
rigid or flexible and the cross-section thereof is a matter
of choice.
In use, a pair of devices as hereinbefore described
are used, and it will be appreciated that the extensions 1
may be interconnected, in any convenient manner, if desired,
to facilitate use thereofby a one armed patient or the like.
A pair of rods are placed adjacent the top edge 9 of a sock
2 substantially diametrically opposite each other and thè
top of the sock is then turned or rolled over to encompass
the rods 8 as shown most clearly in Figure 2. Lips S of
clip 3 are opened by manual pressure on levers 6 and 7 and
the clips 3 are placed over the rolled sock top and its
associated rods 8 as shown in Figure 1 so as to securely
grip the top 9 of the sock. Holding extensions 1 slightly
apart causes the rolled top 10 of the sock 2 to assume a
substantially rectangular shape which facilitates ingress
of the foot. The patient then pulls evenly on the extensions
1 while gently moving the foot or sliding the foot over the
floor, to draw the sock onto the foot, over the heel and
up the leg. When in place the clips 3 and rods 8 are
removed and the top 9 of the sock is straightened.
In a preferred embodiment, the device may also
be used to facilitate removal of a sock and in this instance
the free end of one extension 1 is provided with a flattened
enlarged portion 11, similar to a conventional shoe horn.
The free end of the other extension 1 is provided with a
hook 12. To remove the sock the flattened portion 11 is
inserted between the top 9 of the sock and the leg, adjacent
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1079238
the heel, and the extension is pushed down so as to assist
movement of the sock over the heel. The hook 12 may be
employed to pick up the sock from the floor after rPmoval.
It will be appreciated that flattened portion 11 may also be
employed as a shoe horn to facilitate donning of a shoe, in
conventional manner.
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