I concur on the air mattress suggestion, In my case it didn't even have to be an expensive medical type. I never used one until I had to furnish a home temporarily to be near my mother who is in hospice. We got an inexpensive air mattress, Intex brand, "deluxe" meaning it was high off the floor so we didn't need to buy a box spring, and I've never been more without pain since I've been sleeping on it. You do need to get a topper ...but I got an inexpensive foam topper from Target for about $20. For a total of about $130 I got a fantastic queen size mattress that's the most comfortable mattress I've ever been on. And if it doesn't work for you... you're not out a lot of money.
We bought a Sleep Number bed (air mattress) 20 years ago, because I had terrible back problems and a mattress with springs was killing me. The Sleep Number saved my life.
We still have that mattress, and it's still great. It really does help, too, to be able for each of us to control the firmness. My husband keeps his side at 100, and mine is at 45.
Yes, they're absurdly expensive for what they are, but they never wear out and sag because they're air mattresses. We had three mattresses in the 10 years before we bought the Sleep Number, so we've gotten far more life and value out of this one.
The recommendation for my loved ones is a low air loss alternating air mattress with pump. You can purchase them online for under $100. They also have them for a couple of hundreds into the thousands with all sorts of specialized features for the airflow level, inflate/deflate patterns and amount of time between pattern changes. So read the details well to know what you are getting & what to expect. The reviews, in general, say they work really well at preventing pressure sores and helping them heal. I am ordering one today.
Medicare covers the cost of renting an alternating pressure mattress IF the patient has a pressure wound, but not to prevent them. Hospice provides the mattresses as they provide comfort for most patients who are so frail that they have little or no muscle tissue for cushioning. Hospice gets paid by Medicare on a lump sum per day basis, and hospice uses that for APP and air mattress rental. You may be able to rent these devices from a home DME company or pharmacy. You can also buy them on Amazon. Aim for middle pricing. The very low cost usually don't work great, and the very expensive ones aren't necessarily a great improvement from the average cost devices.
I think you can get an air mattress for this, where you can adjust the level of inflating as needed. Thats the only tool that I know about. I am talking about a medical quality device.
There is the actual alternating pressure mattress which is a full mattress that has the air circulating to relieve pressure on certain points using air cells in the mattress that inflate and deflate. And then there is the air mattress - that goes on top of the regular mattress that redistributes the weight so that they aren't putting pressure on just one spot.
Both of these are available at medical supply stores. The full mattresses of course are more expensive. And the only size I have seen in those is a twin - my FIL was provided one through the VA. I don't know if either one comes in any other size. I would assume you can just buy them without a doctor's request/prescription though. But the only way I have seen them provided to date was either via the VA or when my dad had his from hospice.
For home use? Or at a hospice facility? I have seen the mattresses in nursing homes that routinely rotate positions. Is that what you’re talking about?
I do think that we acclimate to white noise rather quickly.
An air mattress. My daugher found out her mattress was the problem with her aches and pains. Bought a topper, now no problem. My MIL chose to sleep in her recliner because of her hips.
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We still have that mattress, and it's still great. It really does help, too, to be able for each of us to control the firmness. My husband keeps his side at 100, and mine is at 45.
Yes, they're absurdly expensive for what they are, but they never wear out and sag because they're air mattresses. We had three mattresses in the 10 years before we bought the Sleep Number, so we've gotten far more life and value out of this one.
Hospice provides the mattresses as they provide comfort for most patients who are so frail that they have little or no muscle tissue for cushioning. Hospice gets paid by Medicare on a lump sum per day basis, and hospice uses that for APP and air mattress rental.
You may be able to rent these devices from a home DME company or pharmacy.
You can also buy them on Amazon. Aim for middle pricing. The very low cost usually don't work great, and the very expensive ones aren't necessarily a great improvement from the average cost devices.
Both of these are available at medical supply stores. The full mattresses of course are more expensive. And the only size I have seen in those is a twin - my FIL was provided one through the VA. I don't know if either one comes in any other size. I would assume you can just buy them without a doctor's request/prescription though. But the only way I have seen them provided to date was either via the VA or when my dad had his from hospice.
Yes it is a bit noisy
You get used to it. Sort of like a "white noise" machine.
I do think that we acclimate to white noise rather quickly.