How many of your elderly parents sleep in a recliner?

Do you know why your Mom preferred to sleep in a recliner instead of her own bed? Does Mom have any back or shoulder injury or aches?

It wasn't until I hurt my shoulder did I realize how much better sleeping in a recliner would be, as trying to sleep sitting up in bed with pillows behind my back wasn't working. The cotton/poly sheets would cause me to slowly slide down... thus making my shoulder really hurt. Probably the same would happen with a hospital bed.

new COTTON sheets and a pretty comforter. Leave the rails off. put on a bedskirt to hide the machinery, even cover the ends with something pretty.
Help her try it out, make sure she can work the buttons. Let her see YOU using it, to build confidence.

my mother says she breathes better. She doesn't intentionally go to bed in it, but she doesn't worry about it if she falls asleep while in it.

I have a nice bed. Paid huge money for a great mattress. I also have a recliner in my bedroom. Sometimes I prefer to sleep in the recliner because:
1) when I get a leg cramp I can get more comfortable in a chair
2) if I have head cold and breathing is labored, it seems easier in the recliner
3) if I'm restless and I get up to read in the recliner if I fall asleep I just stay there with no problem
4) sometimes sleeping alone in a recliner is less lonely than sleeping in a large bed I used to share with my husband.

So, based on my own experience, I'd guess there are lots and lots of reasons for preferring to sleep in a recliner. Simple habit may be a strong one.

My husband absolutely loved his hospital bed. I crammed it into our bedroom by moving some other furniture out, so he was in familiar and pleasant surroundings. I slept a few feet away.

Would Mom be willing to try it out for a nap? Or just to sit up in and read the newspaper? Maybe getting used to it in small doses would ease the transition.