My husband also has been going to bed with his clothes on. Most of the time he’ll take his pants and shoes off. He has several nice pajama pants but is not interested. If I’m going to choose my battles, this is not a priority. I think it’s partly because he has so much arthritic pain- even turning over in bed is difficult for him. So far we’re getting good sleep most of the time. I try to keep bedtime peaceful although there are times when he thinks it’s not home and wants to leave and that is hard.

Marcia, I see that you have lots of company here, so I’ll add my husband to this list. I bought him new shoes with Velcro and he became like a toddler who won’t put his new shoes down! Most nights I can get him to take his shoes and jeans off, if I wait until he is in the bedroom. He won’t take his shirt off. There are nights however that he goes to bed completely dressed. You have to pick your battles so I let it go. If his shirt isn’t dirty, he may wear it for 2-3 days. He is not physically active but does spill food on his shirts. If we are going out, then I would have him change, but if we are going to be home all day, I let a lot go. It’s a little different relationship between a spouse and a parent. I think sometimes a parent doesn’t want to be ordered around by “some young whippersnapper”. Would he accept you lay out clothes for the next day? He may not remember you told him to change but laying out clothes might encourage him to change. Did he wear pajamas to bed before Alz? Does he have problems getting his shoes on and off? With Alzheimer’s they sometimes can’t remember the simplest things and it doesn’t get any easier. It is hard when you want them to keep their independence, and it is hard to know when to step in because they can do something one day but not the next day or even a difference from Day to night! Pick your battles and give lots of praise when they do something.

My husband does the same thing. The only way I get them off of him is take them when he showers. He was let’s so particular about his clothes.

@A myALZteam Member. He loved them from the start. That’s when he started wearing his shoes to bed! It is so much easier to deal with Velcro! This morning he wouldn’t let me clean him up. He was sitting on the toilet and I was sitting on the edge of the tub. He looked so sad. I asked him if he was mad at me. No. I asked him what he wanted to do today and he shrugged. We sat a long time and I asked him if he wanted me to leave him alone and he nodded yes. Pretty soon he was out in the living room in his underwear. Eventually he did have me help him put his jeans and shoes on. Picking my battles. Glad we didn’t have plans for today.

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A myALZte...

THanks to all of you who Choose their battles.” I thought I was as a coward, but yes, you can’t win them all. Some of our VictoriAn great grand parents slept in their shirts and put on a fresh detachable collar in the morning. Showers non existent.