My Mom has dementia and has been struggling with fastening her bra on her own for quite some time. We've tried camisole bras, sports bras, front clasp, etc. but haven't been able to find a solution. Now she's concerned it's going to snap or fall off... it's a daily conversation about her "broken" bra and she just wants to buy a new one. I understand that people with dementia may fixate on something - is that what is going on with her bra?
Yes there was definitely a fixation but there was a perception thing going on too.
Then she seemed to just give up and wore tshirts under her ever present lounge jacket.
She didn't have dementia but was losing her posture and the bras fit different and so felt uncomfortable. Her back seemed to just crumble in her later years. But we didn't realize what the problem was at first.
Sometimes I think dealing with the issues of the aging body is confused. We haven't been there (to the degree of our parent) and don't realize the limitations or discomforts on the first pass of dealing with their complaints. The shift in the body shape is subtle but it progresses.
My care taking of an elder with dementia is my 91 yr old aunt. When she retired she exchanged her bra for a mans tshirt and a loose cotton oxford shirt. She so hated wearing a bra. She has large breast and her bras probably never really fit her well.
And yes I believe the problem with the bra will pass as her focus shifts. I like the idea of the catalog but also you might try taking her to a nice lingerie shop where she could get a fitting. She might enjoy that as an outing and find a style she really likes if your relationship and her condition allows.
There was also the difficulty of her severe arthritis and her dementia. Getting something she could put on herself was what made me a familiar figure at the returns desk. Fortunately the main daytime lady had been in charge of her own mother's bras and just did the exchanges cheerfully. I also tried camisoles, sports bras, front clasp, pullovers, etc.
At least when she went to a nursing home there was someone to help her dress each day. But then the best thing happened! She didn't notice if they didn't put a bra on her. They stopped when she was bed-bound for a while, and never started up again! Hooray. At 94 and constantly cold, she always wore at least a shirt and sweater, sometimes a third layer. She didn't even own anything sheer. This flat-chested woman did not need a bra for support or for modesty. Wish we could have convinced her of that earlier.
Having my mother's shape I've learned that lesson for me. No bras. Sometimes a man's tank top underwear for a little extra warmth under a sweatshirt.
myworld2017, I'm not really suggesting this as a solution for you. If it is a dementia obsession you'll probably just have to wait it out. Often they go away or change over time. Just hope the next one isn't even more inconvenient!
Worrying that something's going to snap, though... that's a puzzle! See if you can spot anything that might give her that sort of sensation.
Or it could be nothing at all and you never will get to the bottom of it, sigh :/