Undressing Dependent Patient With Tight Fitting Shirt?

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Hello!

I am an RN student, and also work as a PCA on the side. I have a resident who wears tight-fitting turtle neck style shirts, and I am responsible for getting her undressed at the end of the night. This may seem like a silly question, but I have trouble getting her shirt off of her sometimes; I feel like there is no true comfortable way to undress her. I generally undress patients starting with one arm, the head, and then the opposite arm; but with this tight of a fit, it seems like there is no way to avoid an arm or head getting stuck in the shirt! Any tips? Has anyone run into this problem before?

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Pull the shirt all the way up in the back to her neck first, then get an arm out, then the other arm, then over her head.

Mention to the social worker that she could use some better fitting shirts. The social worker can talk with the family or if the facility monitors her $$ for her they can purchase new shirts.

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Specializes in Neonatal Nurse Practitioner.

I like to pull one arm out, pull it over the head, then take it off of the other arm. It tends to work with most shirts, especially with unconscious patients.

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

I agree with the advice of the first two posters. The family needs to be told to buy her shirts that are easier to get on/off.

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This was a constant annoyance when I worked in a Nursing home. Residents that had clothes that were too tight, especially when they had contractures and extremely limited range of motion and cant or wont help. Its worse if they are on a vent or have a halo due to a cervical fracture. You had to be Harry Houdini to get some of these people dressed and undressed. I don't think there is a catch all magic solution for everyone.

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