Reduced mobility: Putting on socks, shoes, and fastening laces without using your hands

So now that we took the introduction out of the way, let’s get to a problem which a lot of people with reduced mobility face every day: gaining independence. Sure, in some cases gaining 100% independence is impossible and we still need someone to assist us with some tasks, but if there are things we can do on our own, it will improve our lives so much and our self confidence too!

Getting dressed can be quite a challenge for some of us. Hands and arms reduced mobility, weak muscles, legs which don’t bend and the reduced ability to bend down because of the medical condition we are dealing with. All of these can be things which make getting dressed on your own sometimes impossible.

In my case, my legs don’t bend and I can’t bend down myself due to severe scoliosis. I could always get dressed (even though I strain my back a lot), but when it came to socks and shoes, I would surrender without a second thought. So upon my decision of moving out of my parents house for studies, I had to find a solution to a problem which seemed to have no way of getting solved: I need hands to get my socks and shoes on, and my hands won’t go that far. But wait! You can actually do this without hands. How? I will explain further.

After talking to some wonderful people who are dealing with the same issues as I do + further research, I came up with a system for hands-free socks and shoes with laces which require no fastening. It will require some shopping but it’s nothing too expensive and it will be so worth. Also, the stick I’m using for the shoes can be used for getting dressed as well without major effort! I am only using sneakers and any sort of shoes which need laces, because my feet are weird and shoes will escape with any occasion. So to avoid frustrating events and having to awkwardly ask people to pick up my rebel shoe from the ground, I like to keep them nicely and tightly wrapped around my foot. If you don’t need laces, then the first part should work just fine if you are still having trouble putting on socks and shoes.

The things and method which I am going to post works for me like a charm, but depending on your condition and mobility/muscle strength, you might want to do more research and look for different similar items to aid yourself. Contact me and I will personally help you find a solution tailored to your needs, as much as I can.

For the socks, you only need one item: a stocking aid. You need to find the model which suits you the best. I have this simple model I purchased from Amazon for £4: Sock and stocking aid - Mobility Aid (this is from Amazon UK but you can find very similar products on Amazon US as well) . Just roll the sock on it and pull it up your feet. It works great for hands with reduced mobility too, you can just put your hands through the loops at the end of the handles. It’s also super resistant.

Anyway, back to my shoes system! What you need:

1. A dressing stick. My choice was this simple Aidapt Dressing Stick which was only £5 on Amazon UK. It’s also amazing for grabbing my clothes from wherever they are without having to stand up, hooking my pants and pulling them up from a fair distance. No back straining, no worries.
2. Lock Laces. These things were designed for running and sports but ironically they can be a true blessing for those of us who can’t even walk properly. Just set them up into your sneakers and get to the next step!

Now, what I do is pretty simple. Note that for the first step, some sneakers might not have the little piece of fabric in the back, which I use for hooking the sneakers with the dressing stick. But you can easily grab a needle and some fabric and sew something small and subtle on the inside of the shoe, but careful to make it strong enough to hold the pulling. So to the steps:

1. Hook your shoe with the dressing stick like in the picture. Drag it in front of your foot and try to guide it carefully and slip your foot in it. For me it’s a bit hard to do sometimes, since my feet have a strange shape, so depending on your feet it may need a bit of pulling. Worry not that the hook will break, it’s actually really strong!
2. So now that you have the foot inside the shoe, here comes the tricky part. Take the stick and hold it upside down, with the hook towards your shoes. Then slowly hook the laces starting from the bottom and pull, to fasten them. When you reach the top, just hook it and pull hard to reach your other hand. Hold it tight, and with the other end of the stick just push back the locking part, until it reaches the shoe. Let it go from your hand, then try to tuck the hanging part of the lace with the stick. This part can be tricky but it’s ok to leave it hanging too if it’s not too long. It actually looks quite fancy.

I'm very sorry for the pictures quality, I will try to change them when I have better light and someone to hold the stick or the shoe for me, it was quite hard to do it on my own.

So now you have your shoes and you’re ready to go. And you did it all by yourself! I know the first time I did it I felt like I have achieved something amazing. Which sounds funny because it’s normally such a simple task. But hey, the idea is to adapt and this is what we do here!

And when you want to take off your shoes, just use the other end of the dessing stick. Slip it between your shoe and foot and push. Off it goes with one move!

I would love to hear opinions and other methods. Also, I’d be very happy if you decide to post here if you tried it and it works fine for you. Don’t hesitate to ask me questions, I’d be happy to offer more support if I can!