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Jane7448 Asked August 2019

My spouse falls/rolls out of bed while asleep 3x/week. I’m thinking a bed rail for a platform bed would help Suggestions?

Any suggestions on what brand, where to obtain? She’s 87, I’m 73, getting weaker by the event.

MAYDAY Aug 2019
Sometimes Palliative care or insurance will supply the Hoyer Lift. Now is the time to keep yourself strong and healthy so you can take care of loved one. The less lifting, the better. Use whatever you can so you do not wreck your back.

Gait belts help too. From floor to bed, hoyer lift.

MAYDAY Aug 2019
Put the bed up against the wall, and a night stand or something on the other side, to kind of block her in.

Rails with pipe insulation, and pads on floor, and cushions between her and the rail sound like it might help.

Try different things.

Lower the bed as much as possible.

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MAYDAY Aug 2019
rails help and so does lowering the bed if you can, and put a mattress pad on floor to catch her if she does roll out again. Guard rails, use pipe insulation from Home Depot and tape it around to make the rails not so hard and cold. Cheap trick, but it works. Or you can put a helmet on wife and biking gear on her before she goes to sleep. Bubble wrap her.

I think rails work the best and a mattress pad on floor.

Jane7448 Aug 2019
Thanks, everyone. The problem I have is that when she slips out of bed, I can’t pick her up. She doesn’t really hurt herself. I’ll look at the bed bumpers, not sure if they are appropriate for an adult.
she likes the edge of the bed.
JuliaRose Aug 2019
I’ve found a Hoyer lift to be amazing at getting my hubby off the floor. I have a few slings, and one of them can be put on while he’s in a sitting position (on the floor). This has been so helpful!
Midkid58 Aug 2019
Mother wanted a bed rail, so I bought it and had it the next day (thank you Amazon Prime!) and it was used ONE night and returned b/c she slid in between the rails and the bed and was stuck.

My Brother ( she lives with them) tucks her in at night and tucks her in so tightly she cannot usually turn nor move. That's fine, b/c once she's asleep, she doesn't MOVE.

we did remove her bedskirt as she'd slip on that and she was really mad about that..she'd get her heels caught on the skirt and slide across the floor, pulling the bedding with her.

I hear she still slides out of the bed weekly, but it's placed so close to the floor she barely notices. Just wakes up in the am on the floor and has no idea how long she's been there.

freqflyer Aug 2019
Jane7448, be very careful about bedrails because a person who is trying to get out of bed can easily get their legs tangled up in the rails hurting themselves.

When my Mom became a bed fall risk, the facility would lower her bed, put fall-mats on either side, and would place pillows tucked on the sides. That helped, but Mom wasn't able to turn over because there wasn't enough space to move around [she was a meer 95 lbs]. Guess it depends on how wide the bed.

JuliaRose Aug 2019
My husband fell out of bed once, and I went on Amazon and bought a bed rail. They have many options. I chose one that lowers so I can move it out of the way. Be aware that if you’re not satisfied, it may not be returnable because it’s labeled personal care, so measure your bed height to make sure it will lower enough. Ours stays secure by sliding under the mattress and fastening to the bedframe. The rail protects the upper side portion of the bed, and it does a good job.

TaylorUK Aug 2019
Does she need to get out of bed during the night - if so bed rails can be difficult to negotiate. Is it possible to simply put her side of the bad against a wall??

AlvaDeer Aug 2019
In the skilled nursing facility I was in recently they had a patient who did this. Bed was kept lowest position with pads on floor on either side and blankets kind of tucked. Worked fairly well. Don't honestly know an answer other than that.

cwillie Aug 2019
Another option are bed bumpers, like these:

https://www.amazon.com/Milliard-Non-Slip-Hypoallergenic-Resistant-Washable/dp/B0748XPZHR

Some people have used a rolled blanket, pillows or even pool noodles in the same way (tucked under the bottom sheet).
PaniniSandwich Aug 2019
Wow cwillie that is awesome!! I'm putting it in my "in case ______ " file. Thank you for sharing!

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