Mom is 95 and in a nursing home. She complains waistbands are too tight when she sits. She has cut the seams of the waistbands so far that she can't keep them up when she stands. She is set in her ways and not likely to try new styles. I don't think she'd be willing to try drawstring slacks or sweats.
Pants these days are not made with elastic in them - the waist bands are made of stretchy material, You would have to totally reconstruct the waist. It would be simpler to have them made I think. I asked the local tailor to do something similar with her dress slacks and he wouldn't.
I have looked at the adaptive clothing sites and not found anything. The issue is not that she has trouble dressing with her current clothing but that her waist is disproportionally large for the rest of her. I guess what I was thinking of is sizing that suits seniors with bloated bellies. - larger and non restrictive waist but not larger hip or butt in our case. However there were some nice nighties!
Mother (age 103) has shrunk a bit from her original 5' 2.5 "and also has sessions of being bloated. As well as that she wears depends due to some leaking, so her waist size has gone up. Like some others here she does not do casual, so sweats etc. are out and she only wears black. Her inseam is now 26.5 and her waist 37.5 (including the depends) so she needs a large but she has very small hips and butt. It is a challenge. The best I have found so far are slinky pants which are not big in the hips in size large. I order them online, hot wash and dry them here and then get them hemmed to her length. I also tried a pair with a double layer fold over waist band which is very soft. I have a pair with that waist band and it is very comfortable. If that works I can get her more of them if needed. I got all these on The Shopping Channel (Canada).
I am sure there is a growing need for pants and other clothing suitable for the elderly and I wish someone would get onto it.
If your in Chicago, chefwear has a store that runs an annual sale and stuff is beyond cheap.
Mom is in denial that because she has stunk over the years that it is harder to find clothing. I would give her the perfect top, but she would poo poo it because it had just one pocket instead of who.... [rolling eyes].
I have had good luck for myself with an on-line catalog called National [website google ShopNational. Nice selection and just about everything fits for me.
Btw maternity has come a long way from the tent dress with a Peter pan collar and big bow both in style and technology of "give" & softness of fabric.
I like Alfred Dunner too. They are sturdy, and come in a lot of colors with coordinating shirts and sweaters.
Introduce them as overnight wear, then she won't want to take them off in the daytime.
Also, check if her underwear are not causing part of the problem around her waist.
They actually protect the legs from getting chilled, offer a little support wthout binding, move with you in bed, and are light weight enough to stay cool in summer.
Txcamper, Alfred Dunner is a good brand for my mom, and petite tops are perfect. But her legs are too long for petites.
GardenArtist, I hadn't thought of teen sizes, since the styles for the younger set are just too 'mod' for my mom. Good suggestion, though. She has a disproportionately large stomach for a tiny person, and that's a lot of the problem in fitting her.
My Mom is 95 lbs but has a large waist [as many of us will see as we get older] but she has shrunk in height over the years. Even petites are too long. So now I am thinking of buying her crop length pants in petites which will look like regular length pants on her. It's just finding a waist size that fits.
The larger the waist the larger the hips and thighs on the clothing. I feel like I am wearing clown pants now a days because of the way the slacks fit :P
I also thought of children's sizes but I don't think the pants would be long enough.
Thank you all for your helpful suggestions. I did find a pair that would work at Silvert's. They are full elastic waistband, but have two Velcro openings on the waistband as well. She should be able to adjust the fit that way. Now....if she'll just try them.
You can also try googling women's elastic pants. I did and learned that these retailers carry them:
Blair, Land's End, Macy's, Walmart, K-Mart, LLBean and Kohl's all carry them.