When should I look for an air mattress for Mom?

Why wait?

definitely our mom spends 24/7 time in bed. Her air mattress just recently went bad and within 10 days was already developing bed sores, so I quickly purchased a new one, it is a fantastic prevention helper, with it, she never gets sores!!

are there similar type of cushions for lounge chairs? My dad has gotten sores in the past on his rear. I had gotten a soft egg crate dog bed for this purpose. it has helped. Didn't know about airbeds.

Talk to a medical equipment store you willneed a doctors letter they can order your bed for little or nothing as its nessasary on mMedicare or caaid or both or even a visiting nurse can order it for you in between any thing that works will help till its in and they can help you with that toov

Yes definitely get an air mattress. Not sure what they cost these days, probably not cheap. Repositioning is important too, I am sure you know, every couple of hours or more frequent if possible. Also her nutritional status is important. Good protein and good hydration.

Actually, there are mattresses are designed to only be used temporarily. That's because the vinyl stretches before springing a leak. What would be better is to get a memory foam mattress topper or even go with a Tempur-pedic bed. If you get the Tempur-pedic, definitely go with the topper as well unless you have a mattress custom-made. If you can't afford a Tempur-pedic, definitely go to your local Walmart and look for a nice thick memory foam mattress topper, the thicker the better. No matter how much or how little time someone spends in bed, having a comfortable mattress is key to preventing bed sores, even if that person has skeletal issues and they need something forgiving. The best time to shop around is now. Instead of pouring money into a constant flow of air mattresses that will add up, just go out for something that will actually last because buying their mattresses all the time will get costly very quickly since they really don't last long. Again, air mattresses are only meant to be temporary. If you try to use them as a prolonged every day item, they will let you down since they're just not made for permanent every day use. I found this out years ago when I used to use air mattresses all the time. Air mattresses just don't hold up forever.

Go for it & keep turning her ever 2 hours & use pillows , rolled towels to keep her in position.
Changing position is so important....YOU have done a wonderful job .....Keep up the wonderful, loving attention....& TAKE CARE OF YOU.

as a retired LPN who worked in NH for 18 years do it ASAP before the bed sores start. Once they do it takes a long time to heal. In Pa you need a doctor's order to get one so insurance will pay but also the patient has to have the bed sore already. STUPID. They have alternate air mattress that I know is the best but there may be some new ones out there so check it out. Don"t wait like you said PREVENTION. So go for it. God Bless and take care of both of you.

Thank you!
Had no idea that an air mattress makes that much of a difference.

I think what you'd find more helpful is an alternating pressure pad that electrically rotates and shifts different sections of the pad.

Ours was paid for by Medicare with a prescription from the supervising home care physician.

Do some checking on an air mattress vs an alternating pressure pad before you buy. You can Google "alternating pressure air mattress" and check out the hits.

My mother first wanted the memory foam from Walmart. Then she wanted it off because it made the bed too high for her to climb into. PREVENTION is the key and you have to move her every several hours or so just like they do in hospitals. GOOD JOB THUS FAR!!!!

My daughter used to admit patients to her facility. She would look for bed sores (automatic air mattress) and pressure points like the backs of heals. If redness is there, bedsores, blisters are next. Maybe our LPN can give more info. I agree, air mattress now.

Private 1, I accidentally made my own temperpedic mattress. My husband wanted a foam rubber mattress so we had on made at The Original Mattress Factory. We chose a foam that was much too firm for our comfort so we bought a 3" memory foam topper. Viola, a savings of hundreds of dollars and getting the same effect. We've slept on it for over 20 years and it's still great!

HI Johnjoe - you may want take a look at the types of bed sore protection mattresses / pads at: parentgiving. If anything it will give you an idea of "what's out there" that might solve your concerns. i've had 5 star service from them and any questions just call and discuss your needs. They have an exceedingly knowledgable staff.

i found that the 'egg crate' type mattress toppers dry out, break down and become quite scratchy, and as the fibers dry out they become airborne, irritating the throat and causing sneezing. Post-surgery, i had to prevent Mom from rolling over onto her side: i'm using those styrofoam pool noodles [as a 'berm'] [ held together with painter's tape so i can adjust them as needed]. i added a few small throw pillows [from the fabric store - they're washable, and for the the soft cylinder types [neck rolls] i wrapped them each with a towel, and tied each end with a length of gross-grain ribbon [untie before washing - they look like candy rolls]. The craft/fabric store has all sizes - the softer, the better, as they're easier to mush about. Blessings ~ cricket

I bought an air mattress that comes with the electric air pump, for $52.00 on Amazon and received it within 7 days, to get it through mediare it will take up to two months, we tried the memory foam mattress's and found that the air mattress works best, the one we had was used and given to us from the adult family home we moved our mom from and lasted two years, They are not just temporary and can last a very long time if taken care of.