I’m helping my 87 year old Mum choose a new bed. She has limitations on her mobility due to an arthritic hip and knee and I thought an adjustable bed might be the best option for her. We have a rep. visiting next week to demonstrate their product which would be customised to my Mum’s needs, should she go ahead with an order.
What questions should I be asking and what has been your experience of such products? I know this will be a costly purchase so we don’t want to get it wrong! Any tips appreciated.
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Good thinking. She was left a phone number by the OT after an assessment last year, in case she was needed again. Hadn’t thought of calling her though. Will get onto it today. Many thanks 😊
Definitely speak to/see an OT.Your mother will probably be able to get a VAT exemption which could be a considerable sum as these beds are very expensive.
Maybe you could defer the sales rep with a little excuse Mum needs a rest until you have things sorted? OT may even have the name of a truly trustworthy company providing these beds ?
Always look at the firmness of the mattress. Whether you can raise it so the bed can be made easier. Does it have rising from head to toe. Do get more than one quote as well. xxx
Your welcome. We do have two single beds in the same frame so i need my feet up and my head , yet Bob doesn't need that so he has his different to mine. xxxx
I have an adjustable bed but I am younger than your mum (I am 35). So there are a few pointers I can give you here:
- Some beds have neck support for when you are raising the bed. This means your neck gets pushed a bit further forward when raising the back, some argue that it might be easier to read stuff in bed - I have this on mine and find it annoying. Tricky to know if you will unless you try it.
- The biggest thing to watch is where the knee bit raises. Some beds have the knee raise in an akward place (like half way between your ankle and knee), so your mum might want to try some different ones and see which one is the most comfortable if she is doing the knee raise bit. She might argue that she will not use it, but if your ankle is hurting, raising it a bit is wonderful.
- Some have a swivel help feature to help get you positioned easier to stand up - I found these super cheap and a bit tacky so avoided them. Might be useful but they seemed to cost to much for my liking.
- I have one of these adjustable inflatable matresses and honestly, it is not worth the money. Some of the pumps are loud and the thing they don't advertise is that you need to buy a new pump about once every other year and they are about £200 a pop (I could find mine on ebay for £150 but with no warranty and selling as 'might not be working'). Avoid these and get a comfy matress instead. We found the ones they supply with the bed not particularly comfortabe long term.
- Check the bed length size. You might find they are a bit longer so need a longer matress and a longer set of sheets.
- If they offer you the wireless remote or the wired one, get the wired one as you will not loose it down the side of the bed and can hook it on.
I think I have covered most of it. Feel free to ask me anything and I hope this has been useful
Great answer with a lot of pertinent information. I rather think you will have covered all the snags to look out for which would buyers would not generally be aware of.
You’ve given me a lot of really useful pointers there - things I would never have thought of. I’m now compiling a list so that when we do meet the rep. we will be well prepared and look more knowledgeable! Many thanks for replying.
When I took care of my mother, I had purchased a pillow like triangular shaped piece that was higher at the back of her head and tapered down so that by the time it got to the small of her back it was pretty flat. This helped her a lot. Much less expensive but an adjustable bed is great as well. Best wishes.
Thank you. I guess that there are bed aids that might meet my Mum’s needs. We’ll keep an open mind re. the adjustable bed as it will be the expensive option.
I will tell you that after my mom passed five years ago, at age 99, I got myself an adjustable bed because I know my daughter won’t take care of me like I took care of her grandmother. 😊
I understand. I’m an only child but I have two. My daughter lives close by but is “far away.” My son lives eight hours away, soon to be 24 hours away, but he would always help me if I needed him to.
Get a quote then shop around, I was quoted £2700 by a rep when I bought mine 10 years ago, bought mine from an online retail outlet (betterlife who were part of Lloyds pharmacy but no longer trade) for £1200, as an arthritis sufferer the ability to change the bed to a comfortable position at th touch of a button has been a huge benefit.Good luck and blessings
Thank you Leon. Adding the inflation over 10 years onto that figure makes me wince. Very useful to know you were able to make a huge saving though, by going online.
I’m glad to hear that the bed has benefited you. Wishing you many more comfortable nights.
Thank you, although I have never purchased a bed from either from experience and as a full time user of mobility aids including 4 different power wheelchairs I can tell you that I have had frequent dealings with both Ableworld and Livewell and have found the service from both to be excellent.Blessings
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