Electric beds and chairs

Living with Parkinson's Daily life
1

We are planning to buy an electric, adjustable bed and chair.  If any of you have any advice or have a make you can recommend I`d be glad to hear from you.  I`m sure they will be helpful but they are a big financial outlay and so I`m doing all the research I can before committing us.

Many thanks.

2

Hello Hatknitter. Might be worth visiting the Naidex exhibition at the NEC Birmingham next April if you can wait that long. All sorts of specialist furniture on show and a chance to try them out.  Log on to www.naidex.co.uk for more info. 

3

Thanks Christo

Sadly we are a long way from Birmingham and would really like to get the bed and chair soon.  I`ve looked at the AgeUk website and appreciate their advice but thought members might have advice too.  But I`m not making the decision just yet so there`s still time to hear from other forum members.

Best wishes to you and thank you.

4

Hi there

Have you tried contacting your local O.T.?  My mum suffers from advanced Parkinson's and our O.T. has been a fantastic help - after visiting mum at home, she applied for us to get an electric "hospital" style bed and I think it was only a few weeks later that we received it and it's been a godsend.  I know these things can be a bit of a postcode lottery so we feel really grateful that we have such support from our O.T.

Good luck.

5

Mattresses and Beds for People with Parkinsons

Hi Holdengrove and anyone interested in beds for people with Parkinson's. I have had PD for nearly 20 years and I am beginning to have difficulty in adjusting my position in bed. Presumably this means that I need a firmer mattress, although the fall in dopamine in my brain overnight could mean that I don't move around much whilst sleeping and so a stiffer mattress might lead to soreness in the part of my body in contact with the mattress. My current bed has a latex mattress but it is not stiff enough to allow me to adjust my position without great difficulty. I WOULD WELCOME COMMENTS FROM OTHERS WITH  PARKINSON'S AS TO THE MATTRESS TYPE AND STIFFNESS WHICH THEY WOULD RECOMMEND. 

I'm also considering buying an ADJUSTABLE HOSPITAL BED so please let me have any comments. 

I address these questions to the PD FORUM and to any PD NURSE with experience of these matters.

I have adjusted my bed's  base height so that the top surface  of the mattress is at about 18 inches from the  floor. This helps me to get in and out of bed although the edge of the mattress is not as firm as i would like and so it sags.

 

Thanks, Plodder 

6

I have  an adjustable bed and reclining chair both of which I got from local independent  suppliers, much cheaper than the big companies  but just as good, The best thing is to shop  around and try as many as you can.   The Disabled Living Foundation (DLF) is a charity which  provides advice on all  aspects of independent living including  many types of daily living equipment.  It might be worth checking their website  (www.dlf.org.uk).  

7

I purchased an adjustable electric bed several yrs ago and find it very good.I cannot find the receipt or mke but what I do remember is that as I purchased it for my Parkinsons I could sign a declaration and buy it zero rated for VAT. I have since purchased a TENS unit for my back pain from www.tens.co.uk, this was also zero rated. most companies were unaware of the VAT position .its worth asking.

Vince Colwyn Bay

8

Hi, It is good to see serious questions being addressed on the Parkinson's Forum;  It would be great if the Moderators can provide us with comments from someone who is an expert on disability living aids. I hope they will do so after reading this thread.

The choice of mattress and electric adjustable bed can make the difference between a life of complete misery, due to lack of  sleep, and a much more enjoyable existence. (It is as important as our personal medication regime which also needs to be  tailored to our individual needs.)

After further testing I believe that I need the height of the top surface  of my mattress to be about  17 inches  to about 22 inches which should be  similar to wheelchair seat height. Upper legs should be about horizontal in order to aid rising to one's feet from one's seated position on top of the mattress. 

I would like advice on the  various features offered by electric adjustable beds and how much assistance they can  give. Can they restore one's independence?  

9

Hi plodder,

Thanks for the suggestion. It's a good one. 

We're planning Q&As for next year so I will see if we can find someone for this topic.

Thanks,

Ezinda