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Adult portable bed rails have been recalled after 2 people died (NPR)
https://www.npr.org/2021/12/06/1061900264/drive-devilbiss-healthcare-portable-bed-rail-recall

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Thanks CW, wonder how often these are used.

The deaths occurred in February 2011 and February 2015, and involved a 93-year-old woman at her home in California, and a 92-year-old man at an assisted living facility in Canada. In both incidents, the bed rails were not securely attached to the bed and the users became entrapped between the product and their mattress.

The deaths were ten and eight years ago. WhAt in the world would cause it to take so long.
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I had one of these for my Mom. There is a strap the hooks to the rail and is secured to the frame on the other side of the bed. It can be tightened. These should not be placed near the head. They are basically to help the person pull themselves up into a sitting position. Then they can swing legs over the side of the bed and use the bar to help them stand and steady themselves. Now, it did help Mom from rolling out of bed but that is not their use. Mom had one to help her after she fractured a vertebrae. A friend had one because his leg had been amputated.

The reason they give is the same reason why NHs do not use bedrails. Because a few people got their head stuck and passed.
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Amazon lists over a hundred different bed assist rails, some are going to be more secure and safer than others. My mom's was also secured to the box with straps but not everyone is going to bother doing that, people disregard and bypass safety features all the time.

As for not placing near the head of the bed - that's going to depend on the size of the rail you buy, longer frames need to be positioned at the top of the bed or they will block access. And as far as I know full bed rails are problematic because active people try to climb over, under, around and through any gap resulting in broken arms, legs and catastrophic falls.
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