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My mom has been in a wheelchair since she had a stroke in May. She is home now with 24/7 care. It was so easy getting her dressed and out in the warm weather, but now it's getting cold. Her aide put her in a short winter jacket last night and I took my mom to dinner. When I tried to get her jacket off in the restaurant, it was a fiasco! The main issue is that her left arm/hand are completely stiff and paralyzed, so getting it in and out of the sleeve is really hard. She can stand up, but only at home with the aide helping, not randomly in a restaurant. Any advice? I feel like bundling her up in a down quilt instead of anything with sleeves!

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Since you are just talking about the distance traveled from the warm car to the warm restaurant or building, I would think that a poncho would fit the bill. If she's like most elderly, she's wearing warm clothing anyway, with a sweater on top of that. So, unless you live in a really cold climate, a few minutes with a blanket over her legs and a poncho over her upper body should be ok. A hat or scarf will also keep her warmer as you lose body heat through the top of your head. A scarf wrapped around her neck will also serve to protect her face.

We deal with the same issues here. The car is chilly at first so she wants her coat on, then she warms up and wants it off. Then she gets chilly and wants it back on, yada yada. Trouble is, she has to take her seat belt off to do this and wants to do it NOW and can't wait. I've had her place her arms backward into it so that she can take it off and on easily. That's one thing I guess I won't be dealing with this winter as now mom is pretty much bed/chair bound. It takes a team to get her dressed and in the car.

I just had a thought. Most restaurants are kept cooler both winter and summer so the sweaters and jackets can probably stay on. I usually carry a light sweatshirt with me just in case. For some reason I'm usually in a draft or sitting right under the AC vent.

Good luck finding a solution. I like the crocheted blanket one and did a little online search. I found mermaid blankets with a tail section that could probably be left off. Now to find someone who can crochet!
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Thanks, everyone. I think you're right--a couple of heavy fleece throws/blankets will work. I feel bad because my mom always liked being fashionable and now she has to sacrifice that in addition to so much else, but what can you do?
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My SIL got my mom a heavy fleece wrap last year at Costco. I noticed that it is available again this season. We just sort of wrap it around her.
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Silvert's Winter Wheelchair Cape with Hood US $167.39 Wheelchair Poncho Fleece Capes US $65.08
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I don't have any experience with this but wonder if a slip over poncho, or one which fastened with Velcro, might be workable. If you have sewing design skills, you might be able to find a way to create slits in it that could also be velcroed, so it could be slipped over her head, then the arm slits velcroed to close over her arms to cold air doesn't get in.

This is an interesting question. I'm going to wander around the Internet to see if I can find anything that could be made.
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put the jacket on backwards, opening toward the back. Easier to remove.
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For my mom I found a couple of thing that work....
1. We have a fleece cape that wraps around her shoulders
2. We altered a couple of sweaters and coats so that we put them on backwards...her arms go in easier thus way. We also got them in a slightly bigger size for easy.
3. I had my neighbor crochet her a blanket that is like a tube on the bottom but opens in back just past her knees. I can put her feet and legs in the tube part and pull the rest up to cover her lap.
Hope this help s
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I would look into getting a wheelchair cape/poncho, they come in everything from lightweight rain wear to heavy fleece. Look for one long enough to cover her knees.
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