8 replies to this topic

[WPDINC]

My 69 year old father is a C3 4 5 6 complete. Being extremely active in the community before the accident, life has been very difficult for both my parents. He is 8 1/2 months post accident and he only has enough movement in his right arm to "sometimes" drive his wheelchair. He fell down the stairs at their home. My mother is his primary caregiver and at 68 she is wearing thin getting up every 3 hours at night to turn him. From what I have found on the internet, the Pro-Bed seems to be the best there is out there. Does anyone have information that they could give us ? Pro vs cons. I have spoke to 2 quads that have this bed and they had nothing bad to say, everything was raving revues. I also spoke to their caregivers and they also had nothing bad to say. They said not to waste time and money on air mattresses that claim to change their positions. Any info that you have would be helpful...P.S. I love this site!!

Edited by WPDINC, 16 May 2007 - 11:28 AM.

[WPDINC]

[quote name='WPDINC' date='May 16 2007, 05:25 AM' post='33304']
My 69 year old father is a C3 4 5 6 complete. Being extremely active in the community before the accident, life has been very difficult for both my parents. He is 8 1/2 months post accident and he only has enough movement in his right arm to "sometimes" drive his wheelchair. He fell down the stairs at their home. My mother is his primary caregiver and at 68 she is wearing thin getting up every 3 hours at night to turn him. From what I have found on the internet, the Pro-Bed seems to be the best there is out there. Does anyone have information that they could give us ? Pro vs cons. I have spoke to 2 quads that have this bed and they had nothing bad to say, everything was raving revues. I also spoke to their caregivers and they also had nothing bad to say. They said not to waste time and money on air mattresses that claim to change their positions. Any info that you have would be helpful...P.S. I love this site!!


OK, so no one has any info on the Pro-Bed, how about info on other types of beds that would help in moving him at night. We are new to this and any info would be greatly appreciated!

[4Wheels]

[quote name='WPDINC' date='May 18 2007, 08:36 PM' post='33441']
[quote name='WPDINC' date='May 16 2007, 05:25 AM' post='33304']
My 69 year old father is a C3 4 5 6 complete. Being extremely active in the community before the accident, life has been very difficult for both my parents. He is 8 1/2 months post accident and he only has enough movement in his right arm to "sometimes" drive his wheelchair. He fell down the stairs at their home. My mother is his primary caregiver and at 68 she is wearing thin getting up every 3 hours at night to turn him. From what I have found on the internet, the Pro-Bed seems to be the best there is out there. Does anyone have information that they could give us ? Pro vs cons. I have spoke to 2 quads that have this bed and they had nothing bad to say, everything was raving revues. I also spoke to their caregivers and they also had nothing bad to say. They said not to waste time and money on air mattresses that claim to change their positions. Any info that you have would be helpful...P.S. I love this site!!


OK, so no one has any info on the Pro-Bed, how about info on other types of beds that would help in moving him at night. We are new to this and any info would be greatly appreciated!
[/quote]

I can't help with info on Pro-Bed, but for 23 years I had a soft side Waterbed.... I loved it, only drawbacks were my wife still had to turn me and it didn't raise or lower.
Then I got a hospital bed with a 8" 6 tube Air mattress.... I hated it, was uncomfortable.
Then I got a Alternating Pressure Air Mattress for it..... I hated that more???

Now we just spent $3,200 for a Tempur Pedic Mattress that raises and lowers the head and feet and I think it feels too hard. My wife says my skin looks fine after laying for 8 hours before turning.

I must be getting old.......

Jim

[EmHope]

I've found it best to talk directly to the company about the type of bed or product you are looking into. Usually they wll let you try it out a month or so to see if it is truly functional. This way you can compare and contrst different types and get the best most efficient product that works best for you! Most companies won't mind letting you use a trial

[edlee]

I'm not sure how much help I can give you other than my own limited experience.

I came home to the bed I had used before the injury. Regular mattress and box springs. Had a pressure sore already which got worse ( mostly due to my inability to sleep in any position other than on my back), which forced me to get a hospital bed with an eight inch alternating pressure setup.

It seems to work for me. No more pressure sore (took almost eighteen monthes but no operation) and I still sleep on my back like a log for eight to twelve hours.

Check some of the other threads as they relate to this.
ed

[carophilly]

This is the bed I am looking at getting. Price-wise it compares to the TempurPedic and Sleep number bed but it designed for people who cannot easily move on their own:

www.satbed.com

Best of Luck.
Caro

[john S.]

[quote name='WPDINC' date='May 18 2007, 09:36 PM' post='33441']
[quote name='WPDINC' date='May 16 2007, 05:25 AM' post='33304']
My 69 year old father is a C3 4 5 6 complete. Being extremely active in the community before the accident, life has been very difficult for both my parents. He is 8 1/2 months post accident and he only has enough movement in his right arm to "sometimes" drive his wheelchair. He fell down the stairs at their home. My mother is his primary caregiver and at 68 she is wearing thin getting up every 3 hours at night to turn him. From what I have found on the internet, the Pro-Bed seems to be the best there is out there. Does anyone have information that they could give us ? Pro vs cons. I have spoke to 2 quads that have this bed and they had nothing bad to say, everything was raving revues. I also spoke to their caregivers and they also had nothing bad to say. They said not to waste time and money on air mattresses that claim to change their positions. Any info that you have would be helpful...P.S. I love this site!!


OK, so no one has any info on the Pro-Bed, how about info on other types of beds that would help in moving him at night. We are new to this and any info would be greatly appreciated!
[/quote]
I've never used a pro-bed. I was in a study back in 1994 where USC was testing those air mattresses and within 1 month my wound closed up incredibly with "no medication:'! Granted, it wasa very clean as wounds go. Within 3 months I had to give the mattress back. Since then air mattresses have become awesome. Low air loss mattresses that turn the patient are a must have for many people that are combating old age and the constant skin problems involved with quadriplegia. If money isn't a big problem and you want results, hill-rom has some very high grade air mattresses. you might want to see about helping your mom and dad get an aide to help so your mom gets a little break. You got to remember, yoiur'e dad didn't just break his neck, your mom's husband broke his neck, too.

Good luck,
john

[john S.]

WPDINC, on May 16 2007, 06:25 AM, said:

My 69 year old father is a C3 4 5 6 complete. Being extremely active in the community before the accident, life has been very difficult for both my parents. He is 8 1/2 months post accident and he only has enough movement in his right arm to "sometimes" drive his wheelchair. He fell down the stairs at their home. My mother is his primary caregiver and at 68 she is wearing thin getting up every 3 hours at night to turn him. From what I have found on the internet, the Pro-Bed seems to be the best there is out there. Does anyone have information that they could give us ? Pro vs cons. I have spoke to 2 quads that have this bed and they had nothing bad to say, everything was raving revues. I also spoke to their caregivers and they also had nothing bad to say. They said not to waste time and money on air mattresses that claim to change their positions. Any info that you have would be helpful...P.S. I love this site!!

I can't say I know anything about the Pro-Bed, but I've been a quad for 32 years and I've never been turned because when I had my accident, it broke my femur and hip on left side and leg and pelvis on right. This cancelled turning as an option because as a quad none of it really healed well. I layed on 6 layers of egg crate foam for many years.
The air mattress with low air loss is my best friend. Just lower pressure when he lays to sleep so he is immersed in the bed. Same trick with Roho seats. If your not down in them, your not getting the effect, just don't bottom out. The alternating pressure mattress is a scam. If you buy the Hill-Rom top of the line that has the feature that rolls the patient at whatever time schedual you want, I know you'll be happy, and your grandfather will love it as much as your grandmother. It's expensive but I've never seen a hill rom product they didn't take care of.
That getting up all night long is taking years off your grandmothers life. I'd go for the best. Just to give you an idea how great thiese mattresses are, if he has a small accident and shes tired, just pour water on it to dillute it, the mattress will dry it in about 15 minutes. I accidentally spilled my water jug and it was dry in less than an hour. When hes up you can turn it off. These inflate quickly because they blow an enormous amount of air through them. If they try to sell you something that won't inflate fast, its not a true low air loss.

Best wishes,
john

[kewlcatkez]

john S., on Nov 27 2007, 09:29 PM, said:

If you buy the Hill-Rom top of the line that has the feature that rolls the patient at whatever time schedual you want, I know you'll be happy, and your grandfather will love it as much as your grandmother. It's expensive but I've never seen a hill rom product they didn't take care of.

I have to say that when I was working as an RN, we used a heck of a lot of Hill-Rom beds and mattresses. They have several grades of mattresses, all low air loss. Some have the 'rotation' feature, others don't. An individual would be 'prescribed' a matteress for their stay depending upon their "skin integrity and pressure risk score" This was usually using the Waterlow chart, and a senior nurse ( A senior RN like me) or someone higher would oversea and give the go ahead.

One thing to mention is that the beds which 'flip' or turn the person don't turn them all the way onto their side and if they are able to and do get into an awkward position it can be a bit hazardous..

Before Hill-Rom it was all "spencos" and "Pegasus" for mattresses and beds and "Parker Knoll" for seating in the hospital environment.

As fr at home, most of these companies do a scaled down version as well as their full size all whistles product. You ,may be able to go for a bed which you wouldn't have the choice of in hospital too as the Hospital ones have to have extra consideration re cross infection etc...and "universal" safety..Incidently, in case you are wondering,.Hill~Rom matresses go back to the company for cleaning between patients..

To the OP, I wish you luck. If you have access to a Community Nursing Team or similar? Depending where you live he should be able to get an assessment of his needs and that would also look into the right bed for him. If in the UK, most beds can be given on Long term loan in cases such as this.


Good luck and best wishes to you all,

Take care,

K