Introduction
Selecting the correct adjustable bed can be a difficult decision in terms of features, functions and of course finance. This guide is designed to summarise the main points that should be considered when selecting a bed for use within a care environment.
Main Contents
- Who Are BaKare?
- What is the role of an Occupational Therapist?
- Who Are the Medical Devices Agency?
- What is an Adjustable Bed?
- Adjustable Beds – Do they make people feel better?
- What does profiling mean?
- Height Adjustability
- Wheelchair Transfers
- Improved Accessibility
- Do Adjustable Beds Assist Mobility?
- Side Rails
- Side Rails – Padding
- Side Rails – Air Mattresses
- Side Rails Profiling
Who are Bakare?
BaKare Beds’ ethos is about demonstrating responsibility & fairness to our clients & others we come into contact with, and in doing so, we try to provide high quality products and service to those in need whilst keeping prices & service levels as fair as possible. Our staff are highly trained and have excellent knowledge of different conditions and requirements where an electric height adjustable bed may be needed.
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What is the role of an Occupational Therapist?
Occupational therapists are trained to identify the most suitable and appropriate medical equipment for specific clients and take into consideration their condition and requirements. An Occupational therapists advice, guidance and support is invaluable and they will often be able to arrange a product to be evaluated prior to purchase.
Who Are the Medical Devices Agency?
The Medical Devices Agency is an executive agency of the Department Of Health. The MDA oversee the safety and quality of medical devices in the U.K. Some adjustable beds are classed as medical devices. The MDA offers exceptional advice in this area.
What is an Adjustable Bed?
The choice in adjustable beds for homecare has grown considerably over the last two decades, although they have been in used in hospital & medical care for much longer. Now widely used in homes, an adjustable bed can be adjusted to a number of different positions using a profiling lying surface, which can commonly incline the upper body and raise the lower body independently of each other.
For users with restricted mobility, the electrically controlled profiling allows them to independently position themselves in order to sit up in bed to read or watch TV, and when used with height adjustment, aids transfer into or out of the bed with less reliance on carers.
Adjustable Beds – Do they make people feel better?
Many of us, following a bad or uncomfortable nights sleep have awoken with either backache, headache, feeling tired or groggy. With conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis, Muscular Dystrophy or Cerebral Palsy, it is easy to attribute all aches and pains to the respective condition.
However, we are equally convinced that some people, with these or similar conditions also suffer posture related pains like everyone else and it is possible to diminish or eliminate posture related pain. We cannot promise that an adjustable bed will make you feel better. It of course depends on the individual, but the best advice is to try one and see for yourself. Bakare currently run a try before you buy scheme, allowing you to sleep on one of their beds for seven days prior to purchase.
What does profiling mean?
A profiling adjustable bed allows you to sit up in bed or raise your legs at a touch of a button. Each section can be positioned independently to enable you to find your perfect position to achieve comfort, relaxation and a great nights sleep.
Profiling beds can assist with a variety of medical conditions and have been found to provide relief from arthritis, rheumatism and traditional back complaints. Some adjustable beds offer a chair or comfort position which is perfect for those that want to eat, read or relax in bed.
For illustration of profiling, please refer to the adjustable beds demonstration.
Height Adjustability
A height adjustable bed can be raised to a high height, which means that carers don’t have to bend dangerously when assisting a user. Height adjustability reduces the risk of back injury and IS now a requirement by which many social services provide home care. It also allows positioning the bed at the correct height in order to assist transfer into and out of bed with less reliance on carers. Some adjustable beds can lower themselves very close to the floor and are suitable for users at risk or falls. For extra low beds, please visit our low bed section.
Wheelchair Transfers
Adjustable height beds mean that the bed can be positioned at the correct height for wheelchair transfers. Many users find that positioning the bed at the least the same height as the wheelchair seat assists transfers, whilst others prefer to position the bed so that they drop down slightly onto it when transferring into bed, and drop down off it when transferring out of bed, especially if upper body strength is an issue.
Improved Accessibility
It is often possible to use the bed to lift you from a sitting to a standing position and vice versa, by utilising the height adjustability of an adjustable bed. This is achieved by pressing the appropriate button on the electronic handset which gently lifts you from a sitting to a standing position with the minimum of effort.
Do Adjustable Beds Assist Mobility?
Bakare Beds are designed primarily to assist mobility and offer orthopaedic comfort to those that find sleeping on a standard bed difficult, strenuous or painful. A multitude of profiling positions enables you to find the perfect position to achieve comfort and relaxation.
Side Rails
Side rails can provide safety for users from falling from bed involuntarily. Unfortunately some types of rails can prove dangerous and should be considered with the guidance of either an Occupational Therapist or the mda guide ” Safe Use Of Side Rails”.
Side Rails – Padding
Our side rails are designed to take protective padding that can be left on permanently, even when the rails are not being used. This is useful to protect users from impact injuires against hard surfaces caused for example by involuntary muscle spasms.
Side Rails – Air Mattresses
Side rails are often not high enough to cope with the depth of some air mattress, and that can obviously be a potential danger, caused by insufficient height of side rail above the mattress. This can increase the risk of the user falling over the top of the side rail and out of the bed with sometime fatal results.
We can offer triple full length side rails or extended height side split / quad rails for safe usage of deeper mattresses, compliant with HSE guidelines.
Side Rails Profiling
Some beds, such as the Volker 3082 utilise four independent side rail sections that profile in line with the lying surface of the bed frame. This means that a person who is sat up in bed will still retain protection at all times, should they be susceptible to rolling to safety frames the side.
