Slippers and footwear

[applesandpears33]

Dad's mobility is pretty poor and he uses a walker indoors due to trouble with his knees. I am worried about his footwear. He spends most of his time indoors shuffling around in really badly fitting footwear. He can't bend down so pushes his feet into old slippers and has sort of folded over the back of them so that his feet slide in and out of them. Occasionally he trips and stumbles in them. Is there are a particular type of footwear that would be better for him? I think he'd need something that is very easy for him to get his feet into but could then secure round his feet so it doesn't form a tripping hazard. Any ideas?

Long handled shoehorn might help. Look at sites like shuropody and pavers for slips on or velcro

yes, either properly fitting slippers with a long handled shoehorn or look at Cosyfeet which have velcro ones that are easy to put on and off although usually for more swollen feet.

My mum is 89 and was wearing these awful mule style slippers. She could barely keep them on her feet. Then she had a fall, thankfully fairly minor, but I used it as an excuse to persuade her to let me find her something more stable. I bought her a pair of Pavers slippers which have a good supportive sole (more like a shoe) and Velcro to make them easy to get on and off. She is very happy in them and found them comfortable right away. I sneaked her old ones into the bin a week later! There are men's slippers too, so it might be worth a look.

What about crocs? I had plantar fasciitis & wore them round the house as they were quite supportive. You can get ones with fur inside.

If he can't bend to fasten them then all the ones with a wide opening and velcro might not work for him. A search for "diabetic slippers" will show the style. They are made to accomodate a swollen foot so have a really wide opening. You can also get "multiway opening slippers" like these

www.absolutefootwear.co.uk/product/mens-winter-slip-on-touch-and-close-multi-way-opening-slippers-with-wide-opening/

If he can't close the velcro then they are all out, your local falls clinic will be big on the subject of well fitting footwear, you could ask them if they know of any more alternatives other than mules which personally I don't like for the risk of them coming off and becoming a fall risk in the same way as what he's wearing now.

Thank you for all of the suggestions. I should have mentioned that he does also have swollen feet due to a medical condition so the wide fit shoes will be perfect.

I was going to suggest Pavers as well. Often have a good, grippy sole and a range of styles that are easy to put on/get off.

My dad wore slippers like these - they open so wide they are easy to get on, and the velcro can be fastened using a grabber stick. Dad wore them all the time due to his swollen and painful feet, so only had to get them on once a day as well