US20180343939A1

US20180343939A1 - Adaptive clothing apparatus for persons with impaired mobility

Info

Publication number: US20180343939A1
Application number: US15/993,378
Authority: US
Inventors: Kristine Goulet
Original assignee: Monarch Collection Inc
Current assignee: Monarch Collection Inc
Priority date: 2017-05-30
Filing date: 2018-05-30
Publication date: 2018-12-06
Also published as: CA3006699A1; CA3065250A1

Abstract

An adaptive clothing apparatus designed for assisting persons with impaired mobility and/or impaired cognitive function includes a plurality of panels for covering the wearer's torso. The intuitive apparatus includes a front panel having attached thereto a wrapping panel, being a posterior torso encapsulator (PTE) panel, and a receiving panel. The PTE panel is equipped with dual fastening systems, being a side torso fastening system positioned in a lower section of the PTE panel and a shoulder fastening system positioned in an upper section of the PTE panel. The asymmetrical design of the apparatus allows the side torso fastening system to be positioned along the side of the user's torso forward of the user's axilla, such that the apparatus can be secured around a wearer by a care provider without difficulty, and without causing injury to the wearer, whether the wearer is in a standing, sitting, or lying position.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a functional adaptive clothing for assisting persons for whom dressing on their own has become too difficult and/or who may be prone to pressure sores.

BACKGROUND

Today, a person who is unable to dress and needs help to accomplish this task is often wheelchair bound or bedridden and is dressed in either ‘regular street’ clothes or adaptive clothing. In the case of ‘regular street’ clothes, putting a top on is very physically challenging for both the patient and the caregiver. There is often much twisting, bending of the torso and lifting and extending of arms in all directions. While adaptive garments should be the better and recommended solution, there is still far too much manipulation of the wearer and the result is often-times, a garment that does not fit properly, has been twisted, bunched up and doesn't provide complete coverage especially in the back. Potential for injury to the wearer is significant. Potential injury to the caregiver is also a material consideration.
Currently, garments that are offered in the adaptive clothing market are lacking in several ways. For example, the available garment designs present at least the following challenges:

- (a) Difficult for the care provider to dress a person.
- People with mobility challenges typically require that a caregiver change the person while he/she is lying down. When trying to dress a person with adaptive clothes, one is required to turn the wearer over multiple times from side to side in order to put a top on. This is physically difficult for the caregiver and can lead to injuries of the spine and extremities. Despite the good intentions of the caregiver, these prior art designs makes it very difficult to dress another person without leaving twisted folds of fabric, bulk and even gaping, and skin exposed in the back. Because of the amount of physical manipulation required, a caregiver who is assisting someone living with a dementia will have increased chance of being met with aggressive or hostile behavior as the wearer may perceive that they are being aggressed. The end results for the caregiver are a physically and psychologically demanding task; potential injury; and/or an unsatisfactory and unsatisfying sense of task completion.
- (b) Challenging, unpleasant and uncomfortable for the wearer.
- Related to (a) above, a person being dressed in adaptive clothing will need to be moved and rolled over multiple times. This means they will be grabbed by the arms or shoulders and their torso will be pushed or pulled or twisted. This is uncomfortable and can easily be interpreted as invasive or aggressing behavior towards them and may cause them to react to protect themselves. This is especially a possibility with a person living with dementia or Alzheimer's disease, and also for a person who is in a physically vulnerable state. These prior art designs are generally very difficult to put on, often leaving folds and bulk and even gaping. The end results are an unpleasant dressing experience; clothing that is ill-fitting, twisted and bunched in the back; pressure sores; gaping in the back and bare skin; and/or potential injury to the care recipient.
- (c) A potential for pressure sores and irritation.
- The potential for pressure sores is a very significant risk with current garments on the market and a general concern for those with little to no mobility. Currently available garments provide significant risk to the patient due to the bunching, twisting and folding of fabrics especially in the back. As well, the location of various types of fasteners on the garments provides additional potential for discomfort and pressure sores. For the elderly who have delicate and fragile skin, the possibility of irritation and sores is augmented due to the inherent pressure and friction that the fabrics and fasteners cause on the skin. The end results may include an uncomfortable and/or injured care recipient; and possibility of legal action against the care provider.

People who require assistance dressing or who are totally dependent upon others to help feed themselves, move or dress are often at the mercy of their caregivers. Whether they are in long term care homes, with home agency employees or with family member assistance, it is the caregivers who are the ones who typically decide what will be worn and how the care recipient will be dressed. For many, this daily dressing and undressing ritual is often an invasive and unpleasant event. Also, it is often done under time constraints and, as a result, the extra minutes it takes to ensure the clothes are properly put on are all too often skipped.
With assistive dressing, the person is dressed in the supine (lying down) position. Among the challenges that present are fragility of wearer and physical effort by the caregiver. Cognitive and physical decline require that the process be as easy and quick as possible with minimum twisting, grabbing, lifting, extending of the torso and upper and lower extremities.
The care recipients are then often put into a wheelchair or bed for hours on end with their backs leaning on the clothing that they were dressed in with exposed skin, fabric bunching, itchy Velcro™, seams or labels scratching the skin. For those care recipients who have lost their ability to communicate, they may sit or lie in the same uncomfortable condition for hours until a caregiver changes the outfit. This typically occurs only at the day's end after eating or at bedtime. In this regard, care recipients are often stripped of their dignity, ignored in the process and dressed/undressed in a robotic manner lacking in empathy, and which may result in injury and/or discomfort to the care recipient.
The clothing apparatus of the present invention represents a new way of clothing individuals who need assistance dressing and addresses difficulties encountered by the care recipient as well as by the care providers. Targeted individuals include people with low mobility, and people who are wheelchair bound or bedridden, among others. The need for the apparatus of the present invention may also be more prevalent in those individuals who suffer from Alzheimer's disease/dementia, severe arthritis, cerebral palsy, a spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, stroke or any other of a multitude of brain injuries or neurological conditions. The apparatus of the present invention takes into consideration changes in biomechanics and range of motions of the wearer and also the actual process of dressing and movements required of the caregiver. It is designed to address the dressing restrictions caused by the changes in flexibility and ability of the recipient. It is supportive of the caregiver in that it is easier to put on and remove clothing of their care recipient and limits the amount of physical effort and force required.
The garment system of the present invention addresses the difficulties encountered during the dressing ritual for both the care provider and the wearer. Its physical design is such that the wearer only must be turned to their side once versus up to four times with current adaptive wear. This represents up to a 300% decrease in manipulation and effort.
With the clothing apparatus of the present invention, caregivers can dress care recipients with much less effort and time, benefiting the caregiver's schedule, and most importantly requiring less manipulation of the body, reducing pain and discomfort for everyone involved in the task of dressing.
The clothing apparatus of the present invention was developed out of a need that was observed firsthand (as a result of years of clinical observation and first-hand experience providing care for persons requiring complete assistive dressing), which is, that existing adaptive garments for people who need help dressing are difficult to put on properly and generally leave the wearer in an unsatisfactory and uncomfortable state. With the solutions described herein, the dressing ritual and experience are greatly improved both for people who need the assistance dressing and for those who provide it.

SUMMARY OF PARTICULAR EMBODIMENTS

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other variations of the embodiments described below may also be practiced without departing from the scope of the invention. Further note, these embodiments, and other embodiments of the present invention will become more fully apparent from a review of the description and claims which follow.
Particular embodiments of the present invention include a clothing apparatus to be worn by a user, comprising three panels, being a first panel, a second panel and a third panel. The first panel comprises a sheet of material for covering or substantially covering the front of the user's torso. The second and third panels are attached to opposite sides of the first panel. Sleeves are disposed substantially medially between each of the first and second panel and the first and third panel, respectively. The second panel is sized to wrap around the user's back, and comprises a distal side portion having an upper section and lower section, a side torso fastening system disposed substantially along the lower section of the distal side portion, and a shoulder fastening system disposed above the upper section of the distal side portion, wherein the lower section of the distal side portion extends beyond the distal end of the upper section of the distal side portion, and wherein the upper section of the distal side portion is shaped and sized to fit substantially beneath and slightly forward of the user's axilla when the second panel is wrapped around the user's back. In this embodiment, the first panel further comprises both a side torso fastening interface for interacting with the side torso fastening system to secure the second panel to the first panel, wherein the side torso fastening interface is positioned on the first panel forward from the midline of the side of the user's torso, and a shoulder fastening interface for interacting with the shoulder fastening system to secure the second panel to the first panel in the area of the user's shoulder on the shoulder fastening interface side of the user. In this disclosure, clothing apparatus means any clothing top, including but not limited to a shirt, blouse, or other upper body garment. Further, the material composition of the clothing apparatus of described herein is unlimited in scope, and can include fabric and textile compositions such as cotton, polyester, silk, nylon, linen, Lycra™, wool, and others, including combinations of different fabrics or textiles.
Other particular embodiments of the present invention include a clothing apparatus wherein fasteners are positioned on the anterior to the lateral midline (coronal plane) of the wearer's torso. This positioning minimizes probability of contact and pressure between the wearer and the fasteners when the wearer is side lying on the same side as the fasteners, thereby reducing discomfort and instances of pressure sores. There are no other fasteners positioned for contact with the wearer's torso, therefore, there is no opportunity for pressure sores to develop if the wearer is lying on his or her back or on either side, including the side opposite the fasteners. There are additional fasteners providing attachment and closure at the top of one shoulder of the wearer. The location of these fasteners on the shoulder is such that they cannot create discomfort or pressure sores in any seated or lying position.
Other particular embodiments of the present invention include a clothing apparatus (or garment) that wraps around the wearer's body, affixing on one shoulder and along one side of the wearer's torso in front of the axilla of the wearer's arm. The garment can be manipulated to slide onto both arms of the wearer from the front and is then wrapped completely around the wearer's back to then be fastened both onto the top of one shoulder and onto the corresponding side of the wearer's torso. In a preferred embodiment, the garment wraps around the wearer with no seaming on the wearer's back or anywhere where the wearer's body weight could exert pressure on the wearer when the wearer is in a sitting or lying position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood that the drawings are only for the purpose of illustration and as an aid to understanding and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. The embodiments herein will be understood from the following description with reference to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a clothing apparatus in an open position in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a back perspective view of a clothing apparatus in a transitional position between an open position and a closed position in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of a clothing apparatus in a closed position in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a partial side perspective view of a clothing apparatus in a closed position in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a front elevation view of a clothing apparatus in a closed position in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a rear elevation view of a clothing apparatus in a closed position in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a back perspective view of a clothing apparatus in a transitional position between an open position and a closed position in accordance with another particular embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. In particular, all terms used herein are used in accordance with their ordinary meanings unless the context or definition clearly indicates otherwise. Also, unless indicated otherwise except within the claims the use of “or” includes “and” and vice-versa. Non-limiting terms are not to be construed as limiting unless expressly stated or the context clearly indicates otherwise (for example, “including”, “having”, “characterized by” and “comprising” typically indicate “including without limitation”). Singular forms included in the claims such as “a”, “an” and “the” include the plural reference unless expressly stated or the context clearly indicates otherwise. Further, the stated features and/or configurations or embodiments thereof the suggested intent may be applied as seen fit to certain operating conditions or environments by one experienced in the field of art.
Referring to the drawings, in FIG. 1, there is shown a clothing apparatus 10 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The apparatus 10 may be made to look like one continuous piece of fabric, although it may be made of multiple individual pieces of fabric sewn or otherwise attached together.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the clothing apparatus 10 has a front panel 20 comprised of a sheet of material (e.g. one sheet of continuous fabric, or multiple fabric (or other material composition) components attached together) for generally covering the front of a user's torso. A posterior torso encapsulator panel 50 is attached to one side of the front panel 20. A receiving panel 60 is attached to the opposite side of the front panel 20. Sleeves 30, 40 are disposed substantially medially between each of the posterior torso encapsulator panel 50 and the front panel 20, and the receiving panel 60 and the front panel 20. The clothing apparatus 10 is closed in the area where the panel 50 connects to the front panel 20 in the vicinity of the user's collar-bone, but open in the vicinity of the user's collar-bone opposite.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the posterior torso encapsulator panel 50 is sized to wrap around a user's back. As the name implies, the panel 50 encapsulates a user's posterior torso muscles when the panel 50 is wrapped around the user's back. The panel 50 includes a distal side portion 120 having an upper section 130 and a lower section 140. The panel 50 further includes a first fastening means, being a side torso fastening system 80, disposed substantially along the lower section 140 of the distal side portion 120, and a second fastening means, being a shoulder fastening system 90 disposed above the upper section 130 of the distal side portion 120. The panel 50 is of irregular geometry which results in an off-centered midline at the back of the clothing apparatus 10. Importantly, the asymmetrical design of the apparatus 10 allows fastening systems 80, 90 (namely, a side torso fastening system 80 and a shoulder fastening system 90) to be positioned along the side of the user's torso under the user's armpit, and in the embodiment shown, slightly forward of the mid-line of the user's torso (each, in the case of the side torso fastening system (80)) and in the vicinity of the user's shoulder above the user's collarbone, and in one embodiment substantially on top of the user's shoulder, and in another embodiment substantially between the user's shoulder and the user's neck, and in a further embodiment, in the trapezius region (each, in the case of the shoulder fastening system (90)) to avoid potential pressure areas caused when the user is lying on his or her side, or when the user is standing, sitting, or lying with the user's arms at his or her sides in contact with the side of the user's torso. Indeed, the irregular shape of the posterior torso encapsulator panel 50 panel prevents skin irritation caused by shearing, friction and/or pressure. These sources of skin injury are inherent in other adaptive clothing, including adaptive clothing systems which utilize fasteners located along the spine and/or other pressure points on the torso, including pressure points that manifest when the user is lying on his or her back or side, as well as pressure points that align with sensitive parts of the torso, including where the user's skeleton is close contact with the user's skin.
The single back panel design of the apparatus 10 reduces caregiver effort and care recipient (or user) physical manipulation typically resulting when dressing a person who is lying down. The design allows for a single quarter roll to one side (from supine to side lying) of the care recipient in order to affix the side snaps, as opposed to rolling the care recipient to one side and then to the opposite side to properly dress.
Still referring to FIG. 1, in the embodiment shown, the lower section 140 of the distal side portion 120 of the panel 50 extends beyond the distal end of the upper section 130 of the distal side portion 120, and the upper section 130 is shaped (and sized) to fit substantially beneath and slightly forward of the user's axilla under sleeve 40 when the panel 50 is wrapped around the user's back, and the side torso fastening system 80 is maneuvered into position on the receiving panel 60. In this specification, terms such as “substantially” and “slightly”, and other similar descriptors used herein, are intended to be defined by their common dictionary meanings. Alternative rear views of the clothing apparatus in an open (or unwrapped) position are shown in FIGS. 2 and 7.
Referring back to FIG. 1, in the embodiment shown, the receiving panel 60 is irregularly shaped and has been designed for interfacing with the posterior torso encapsulator panel 50 disposed on the opposite side of the front panel 20. In this regard, in the embodiment shown, the receiving panel 60 has a substantially convex curvature and is sized to cover (or substantially cover) the wearer's shoulder blade on the receiving panel 60 side. By covering (or substantially covering) the wearer's shoulder blade with the receiving panel 60, gaping or opening of the apparatus 10 to expose the wearer's back or shoulder on the receiving panel 60 side is mitigated when the wearer's arm and/or shoulder on the receiving panel 60 side are in motion. Moreover, the receiving panel 60 serves to maintain the integrity of the apparatus 10 when affixed in a closed position around a wearer's torso. In this regard, absent the receiving panel 60, the fastening systems 80, 90 are prone to open when the wearer is in motion. Further in this regard, it was discovered that if the panel 60 does not cover or substantially cover the wearer's shoulder blade on the panel 60 side, when the wearer moves his/her arm forward on the panel 60 side, gaping of fabric can occur, in which event, the back of the wearer's shoulder on the panel 60 side becomes exposed. Further, if the panel 60 extends too far past the wearer's shoulder blade on the panel 60 side, then there is too much fabric overlapping between the panels 50 and 60, which can lead to fabric/material bunching and wearer discomfort.
The upper-most portion of the receiving panel 60 is also sized to support the upper section 130 of the panel 50 and by association, the shoulder fastening system 90. In this regard, in one embodiment, the upper-most portion of the receiving panel 60 is the same width or substantially the same width as the width of the material encompassing the shoulder fastening system 90 within the upper-most portion of the upper section 130 of the panel 50. Further, in one embodiment, the receiving panel 60 is also tapered towered its lower-most portion to circumvent the need for excess fabric. Tapering the panel 60 toward its lower-most portion further serves to ensure that the user's waist area is covered upon fastening of the apparatus 10. In addition, the weight of the panel 60 creates an downward anchoring effect thereby limiting the tendency for the panel 60 to open up sideways and expose the wearer's shoulder. Further, the panel 60 helps to create friction with the overlapping portions of panel 50, thereby further aiding in keeping the apparatus 10 closed when the panel 50 has been fastened in place, and preventing gaping.
In one embodiment, the panel 60 is widest at the portion intended to cover the wearer's shoulder blade on the panel 60 side, and narrows toward the top of the wearer's shoulder in an approximate ratio of 2:1 between the width of the material covering the shoulder blade and the width of the material covering the shoulder.
Depending on how the apparatus 10 is completed (e.g. one panel construction for front panel 20 and receiving panel 60 vs. multi-panel construction (e.g. where the front panel 20 and the receiving panel 60 are attached along a shared vertical axis)), the side torso fastening interface 110 and shoulder fastening interface 100 may be positioned on the receiving panel 60 or the front panel 20, or one of the side torso fastening interface 110 and shoulder fastening interface 100 may be positioned on the receiving panel 60 and the other on the front panel 20. Further, the interfaces 100, 110, or one of them, could straddle each of the front panel 20 and the receiving panel 60. FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a partial apparatus 10 focusing on the torso fastening system 80 and associated side torso fastening interface 110, wherein the panel 50 has been wrapped around the wearer and the fastening system 80 is being employed to interact the interface 110. In addition, in FIG. 4, the shoulder fastening system 90 is shown interacting with the interface 100.
Importantly, the side torso fastening system 80 and associated side torso fastening interface 110 disposed on the receiving panel 60 (or alternatively, on the front panel 20) must be positioned far enough forward from the midline of the user's torso so that pressure points are mitigated when the user is lying on his or her side.
The fastening systems 80, 90 described herein are positioned on the panel 50 in anatomically preferential positions when the apparatus 10 is in a closed position with the panel 50 wrapped around the user's back. Strategic positioning of the fastening systems 80, 90 mitigates against unwanted pressure applied to a user's body, for example, as a result of the user's body resting against a fastener or fastening means, the result of which could irritate the user's skin and/or create a pressure sore. In particular, in the embodiments shown in the drawings, when the apparatus 10 is in a closed position, the side torso fastening system 80 is positioned anterior to the midline of the user's torso, such that when a user lying on his or her side, the user will not experience pressure points. Importantly, the side torso fastening system 80 and associated side torso fastening interface 110 disposed on the receiving panel 60 (or alternatively, on the front panel 20) must be positioned far enough forward from the midline of the user's torso so that pressure points are mitigated when the user is lying on his or her side.
As illustrated in FIG. 3, the side torso fasteners are located inferior to the garment armhole stitch. This ensures comfort in the axillary region. All side fasteners are cushioned with a layer of protective fabric to prevent any uncomfortable bulk or damaging contact of fasteners with the skin. In the embodiment shown, the shoulder fastening system 90 and associated shoulder fastening interface 100 is designed to be positioned midway between the user's shoulder midline and clavicle. This prevents any undue pressure when fastening the garment onto any bony surfaces.
The fastening systems employed, being the side torso fastening system 80 and the shoulder fastening system 90 can be made up of a single fastener or multiple fasteners. In the embodiments shown in the drawings, the shoulder fastening system 80 has four fasteners for interfacing with the associated side torso fastening interface 110 disposed on the receiving panel 60, however, less than four or more than four fasteners could be employed here. Similarly, in the embodiments shown in the drawings, the shoulder fastening system 90 is shown with two or three fasteners for interfacing with the associated shoulder fastening interface 100 disposed on the front panel 60, however, less than two or more than two fasteners could be employed here. The fastening systems and associated interfaces could include any combination of standard fasteners/fastener interfaces (e.g. snaps, buttons, hooks, clasps, Velcro™, magnets, zipper(s), etc.). The foregoing list is not intended to be limiting.
An embodiment showing the front and rear orientations of the clothing apparatus is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. Here, the apparatus 10 is shown in a closed orientation with the panel 50 in a closed position. When the apparatus 10 is in a closed position, an opening is created between the interface of panels 20, 50 and 60 to allow protrusion of the wearer's neck and head.
Intuitive engineering may be integrated into the side torso fastening and shoulder fastening systems in order to prevent inadvertent misalignment of the clothing apparatus. For example, the first fastener along the side of the torso can be designed to be unique in size, shape and/or fastening mechanism, such that it cannot be fastened in any other location. It is anticipated that this unique fastener will be the first fastener affixed when performing assistive dressing due to its location and ability to hold the garment in place sufficiently for balance of fasteners to be affixed, though it need not be the first fastener. The circumstances under which the clothing apparatus of the present invention is anticipated to be used include situations where a caregiver is time constrained and dressing of individual care recipients must be performed efficiently. In an example embodiment, where the fasteners employed are a plurality of snaps, the first snap along the torso can be a different diameter from all others that are placed along the torso (or alternatively, the first fastener can be of a different type than the other fasteners associated with the same fastening system). This variation in fastener size/shape and/or type will ensure that when dressing a care recipient, no error is made in terms of closing the apparatus around the care recipient—since the first fastener can only be fastened at one specific location. Of course, it would be possible to alter the size, shape and/or fastening mechanism for any of the individual fasteners within the side torso fastening system 80 or the shoulder fastening system 90.
The clothing apparatus of the present invention can be used as a standalone upper body clothing garment, or it can be used as a base layer upon which a second fashion/styled top can be positioned (for example, to provide warmth from layering and/or to provide emotional uplift caused by wearing fashion designs that are non-institutional and align with normalizing through current fashions).
The scope of this disclosure encompasses all changes, substitutions, variations, alterations, and modifications to the example embodiments described or illustrated herein that a person having ordinary skill in the art would comprehend. The scope of this disclosure is not limited to the example embodiments described or illustrated herein. Moreover, although this disclosure describes and illustrates respective embodiments herein as including particular components, elements, functions, operations, or steps, any of these embodiments may include any modification, combination or permutation of any of the components, elements, functions, operations, or steps described or illustrated anywhere herein that a person having ordinary skill in the art would comprehend. All such modifications, combinations and permutations are believed to be within the sphere and scope of the invention as defined by the claims appended hereto.

Claims

We claim:

1. A clothing apparatus to be worn by a user, comprising:

a first panel comprising a sheet of material for covering the front of the user's torso;

a second panel and a third panel attached to opposite sides of the first panel;

sleeves disposed substantially medially between each of the first and second panel and the first and third panel;

wherein the second panel is sized to wrap around the user's back, and wherein the second panel comprises:

a distal side portion having an upper section and lower section,

a side torso fastening system disposed substantially along the lower section of the distal side portion, and

a shoulder fastening system disposed above the upper section of the distal side portion,

wherein the lower section of the distal side portion extends beyond the distal end of the upper section of the distal side portion; and

wherein the upper section of the distal side portion is shaped and sized to fit substantially beneath and slightly forward of the user's axilla when the second panel is wrapped around the user's back,

and wherein the first panel further comprises:

a side torso fastening interface for interacting with the side torso fastening system to secure the second panel to the first panel, wherein the side torso fastening interface is positioned on the first panel forward from the midline of the side of the user's torso;

a shoulder fastening interface for interacting with the shoulder fastening system to secure the second panel to the first panel in the area of the user's shoulder on the shoulder fastening interface side of the user.

2. The clothing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the third panel is sized to cover the user's shoulder blade on the side of the user's body closest to the third panel.

3. The clothing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the shoulder fastening system comprises a plurality of fasteners.

4. The clothing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the side torso fastening system comprises a plurality of fasteners.

5. The clothing apparatus of claim 3 wherein the plurality of fasteners is disposed along the length of the shoulder fastening system.

6. The clothing apparatus of claim 4 wherein the plurality of fasteners is disposed along the length of the side torso fastening system.

7. The clothing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the shoulder fastening interface is disposed in the area of the user's shoulder above the user's collarbone.

8. The clothing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the side torso fastening interface is positioned on the first panel rearward from the midline of the side of the user's torso.

9. The clothing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the side torso fastening interface is positioned on the first panel substantially on the midline of the side of the user's torso.

10. A clothing apparatus to be worn by a user, comprising:

a second panel and a third panel attached to opposite sides of the first panel;

a distal side portion having an upper section and lower section,

and wherein the third panel further comprises:

a side torso fastening interface for interacting with the side torso fastening system to secure the second panel to the third panel, wherein the side torso fastening interface is positioned on the third panel forward from the midline of the side of the user's torso;

a shoulder fastening interface for interacting with the shoulder fastening system to secure the second panel to the third panel in the area of the user's shoulder on the shoulder fastening interface side of the user.

11. A clothing apparatus to be worn by a user, comprising:

a second panel and a third panel attached to opposite sides of the first panel;

a distal side portion having an upper section and lower section,

wherein the first panel further comprises:

and wherein the third panel further comprises:

12. The clothing apparatus of claim 1 wherein a first portion of the side torso fastening interface is disposed on the first panel and a second portion of the side torso fastening interface is disposed on the third panel.

13. The clothing apparatus of claim 1 wherein a first portion of the shoulder fastening interface is disposed on the first panel and a second portion of the side torso fastening interface is disposed on the third panel.

14. The clothing apparatus of claim 2 wherein the third panel is tapered from a widest portion in the area of the user's shoulder blade to a narrowest portion in the vicinity of the user's waist.

15. The clothing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first and second panels cover one of the user's shoulders when the apparatus is positioned on the user's torso, and wherein the user's other shoulder remains exposed until the second panel has been secured via operation of the side torso fastening system and the shoulder fastening system.