Development of medical garments and apparel for the elderly and the disabled

Abstract

The paper critically reviews medical garments with various functions and development aspects. Textiles used and developing technologies are systematically introduced. Medical garment products are described according to three major functions: protective, treatment and caring functions. Although the main theme of this paper discusses products for the elderly and the disabled, it also contains major parts on medical garments, which include personal protective equipment (PPE), hip protectors (HP), pressure garments (PG), compression stockings (CS), wet dressings, products for wound dressing, adult incontinence products, sanitary napkins, disposable diapers, vital signs monitoring garments, motion aware clothing, wearable sensors and smart diapers and so on. The development of apparel for the elderly and the disabled is a challenge for the healthcare and clothing industries. The developed apparel products are not only based on various design, fashion and comfort concepts but also considered in terms of particular medical problems, restorative care functions and appropriate solutions for healthcare purposes.