The baby powder approach is the only way we can get shoes on my husband. He has lost all ability to assist us but it works great and his toes stay comfy.
I found a sandal that is flat and velcro doest not look bad. you can arrange toes and tighten back for balance made by dr scholl. they make mens.
I bought them at wm online or wherever scholls are sold.
This might work. Get a hard insole, and Kerlix it or light tape to his foot then insert in shoe. They are thin, but you might have to remove the existing insole. Hope this helps.
My husband wears a foot brace but when he goes to put his shoes on his toes curl under. We don't know what to do to keep them straight until he gets his shoes on. For now, he will put his shoes on and try and push down on the top of his shoes to get them to straighten out. I would appreciate any suggestions.
My orthotist put a strap ot the bottom of my drop foot brace to use while putting my shoe on. With the foot on the brace first you can get the toes flat on it before putting on the shoe then use a shoe horn to slip the shoe over both. Works for me.