My senior dad grew up in traditional pants but once he retired he switched to the oh-so-comfortable blue jeans, which he loved. As his Parkinsons Disease progressed, he had to add mens elastic waist jeans to his shopping list and that worked quite well for a while.
When he was placed on hospice, however, in the end stage of Parkinson's Disease, he no longer felt comfortable wearing his trusty blue jeans. The zipper was too hard for his shaking hands to handle. There wasn't enough "give" in the jeans, themselves, when he was shifting in his wheelchair. And he hated having to change when going from bed to wheelchair a few times a day, but jean material just wasn't comfy for him in bed.
He would have preferred Khaki like the Eddie Bauer elastic waist pants above or these Falcon elastic waist pants for men (which come in big and tall sizes) but I didn't even think to look at Amazon at the time. Now, of course, that's always my first stop – since it's so wonderfully handy for a busy Sandwich Generation granny nanny, dealing with the issues of caring for elderly parents and babysitting grandchildren! (Aren't these sharp looking?)
At my mom's request, I went on a comfy-clothes hunt for him, expecting to find sweat pants quite easily. It must have been the wrong time of year because it took me two or three stores, but I finally found some nice, thick mens elastic waist sweat pants in a soft fabric that he really liked. I bought several and he pretty much lived in those all day.
Now we are close friends with a senior couple who are going through something similar. He is not on hospice, but his Parkinsons Disease symptoms have progressed quite a bit. Dealing with shaky hands and less control of his body overall, he, too, needs to make a major adjustment in his pant choice. Unlike my dad, though, he doesn't like sweat pants. He still wants to wear regular slacks, as he has for over 75 years. He just wants them to be easier to get up and down.
Once again, my senior mom and I went on a bit of a hunt to help them and came up with some good looking options for mens elastic waist pants, twill pants, and drawstring pants:
- My senior mom and I have ordered from this company several times over the past year and been quite pleased with their service and their clothes. I noticed they do offer womens and mens elastic waist pants and their prices are always reasonable. Just search for "full elastic." If you are interested in ordering from them, sign up to get their online notifications first. They frequently send out great coupon offers – from free shipping to discounted clothes. In fact, they are one of the companies I am affiliated with. If you look in the columns to the right, you'll find their latest special – just for you. 
Some other options I discovered include:
- HABAND – This seems to be one of the least expensive of our choices. My senior mom spotted a flyer from them in our Sunday paper and I noticed they were online, as well. They offer full, 360 degree mens elastic waist pants, including mens jeans. You can also get flannel-lined elastic waist jeans or twill pants that would be great for an elderly gentleman who tends to get chilly easily.
- SILVERTS - Their website states they have been providing adaptive clothing for 80 years. In addition, Amazon carries one pair of velcro pants from Silverts. When I see a company partner with Amazon, I feel more confident ordering online from that company. They, too, offer mens elastic waist pants.
- BUCK AND BUCK - They are based in Seattle and their site explains they've been in business for 31 years. I liked the fact that the can convert any of their clothes to velcro, giving you plenty of choices. Even dressy church clothes would be easy to get on and off, then. They also offer mens elastic waist pants, including twill pants. And if you're like my senior dad in the early stages of Parkinsons Disease, they also offer full elastic waist mens jeans.
Kaye
P.S. Thank you so much for your comments. I appreciate them very much and read each one. I also do my best to reply to them all but, as you can imagine, there are times (many times, lately :) ) when caregiving needs do not allow for that. Thank you for your patience and your sweet comments.
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New at SandwichINK:: 4 Useful Resources for Senior Mens Elastic Waist Pants http://www.sandwichINK.com/senior-mens-elastic-waist-pants
This company also makes great elastic waistband pants for men.
http://www.comfortclothing.com/index.html
i am so happy tofind some one else that sees the need for full elastic waist for the elderly man…i have to sit when using the camode , since i can’t keep my balance to pull up and button my pants, i take off my shoes,take off my pants, walker to the bedroom to complete dressing boiling in hate no company produces an all elastic waist khaki or light denum with draw string…have i found a source ???
Hi Joe, Hopefully you have
Here’s another link to click that shows a search I did at Amazon for mens khaki full elastic waist pants that may offer some more choices. Silverts Adaptive Clothing may also have some good options for you – type in mens elastic and look at those choices. Praying these work out well for you. 
My husband has Parkinson’s Disease, and we have a mentally handicapped adult son who lives at home. I have ordered the full-elastic waist pants from Haband and Blair for both of them.
We have been really pleased with the pants from both places:ease of dressing, quality-for-price, color selection, wash-and-wearability.
Hi Sheila, thanks so much for letting us know.
…very frustrated having spent 3 hours going to websites in search of full elastic, NO zipper or fly pants (not fleece or sweatpants) for my 92 year old father who has Parkinson’s…still no results as above still have buttons/zippers he can no longer manipulate…if we had the capital, we’d start production! Thanks for letting me vent, Linda T
Hi Linda, I know the feeling well! The last few months, the fleece was the most comfy for my senior dad, but until he reached that point, it was, indeed, a challenge. He usually just had my mom help him.
Did you see this page from Buck & Buck – it looks like it has nice slacks with the full elastic waist pants – http://www.buckandbuck.com/mens-clothing/shirts-and-pants/pants.html
Habands has this – http://www.haband.com/men-pants—shorts-casual/active-joe-reg–comfort-pants-07206/ – it’s Cotton/polyester jersey knit that stretches naturally for full movement. It has an all-around elastic waist with drawstring for ideal fit. If the material is ok, and he doesn’t want to have to work with the drawstring, perhaps they would work if it was removed?
And Silverts has a nice pair of pants with velcro on the side. That would be a bit easier, tho I know it’s not exactly what you’re looking for. http://www.silverts.com/show.cfm/product/50660-mens-side-open-adaptive-pants-with-velcro-brand-fasteners
Let us know if any of these work – or if you find another good resource – and I’ll add it to the article. Praying you find something without too much headache!
