beds

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LizT

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Was curious if anyone has some pointers on a bed. Here is our situation....

PALS currently uses a hospital bed. But he'd like to get a bed for the both of us to sleep in while Im there. I know they make adjustable beds, but do these beds also raise and lower the way a hospital bed does? And also, can I get his lift under the bed, or are the bases of adjustable beds all the way to the floor? Appreciate any suggestions. Thanks.
 
Liz, I sent you a reply to your message. Quick answer, for others here who read this and are looking for the same, is that no, my queen sized tempurpedic adjusts head and foot, but does not raise up and down like you describe. Search for adjustable beds for bariatric use. In my message to you I sent a link to A m a zon featuring the Tranquility Bariatric Adjustable Bed with Memory Foam Mattress by Shuteye Beds

I have no personal knowledge of the bed, as far as how comfortable, or how well it would hold up, but do know it elevates like you need for you and Ray.
 
thanks Diane. ive looked at a few now.
just wanted to bump this. do any of you know about mattresses? can any mattress be used with an adjustable bed? if so, what mattress would you reccomend?
 
For comfort and less stress on bony prominences of his body, you're probably going to want to go with a tempur-pedic type of mattress. You might also consider putting to hospital beds together (twin size) and getting a king mattress--that would allow you to use the bed you have and keep the ability to adjust the height of the bed.

I've found hospital beds to be notoriously uncomfortable. I added a 4 inch pad to my hospital bed to make it comfortable enough to sleep on.

You can find used electric hospital beds pretty inexpensively, too--around $200 bucks or so around here.
 
Thanks much, Patty. Glad to see you back.
 
I'm not sure about some of the terminology being used. Larry has a new bed that goes up and down, foot and/or head goes up/down, also the entire bed slopes up to 45 degrees ("Trendelenburg position"). Lift goes underneath it if it is raised high enough. It is considered a hospital bed. However, there are other brands that make a point of not being "hospital beds," that have similar adjustability, though as far as I know, none of the more "consumer brands" has the Trendelenburg feature that ours has, that has been really important to Larry's back, which has many non-ALS issues.

If the PALS needs a medical grade mattress, as Larry does, you need a medical brand of bed to support it, because you will not be using a foundation or box springs then. The medical mattresses are much denser and supportive but less comfy/cushy than the 'pedic sort.

Since we have a small bedroom, I ordered an adjacent "adjustable" bed for myself. It is head and foot-adjustable and has a "regular" mattress (latex) + a foundation.

It would not work for us to share any more, since he sleeps in a position I could not tolerate and so our concept was a high/low/adjustable bed for the PALS and one w/o the high/low feature for the CALS. They have to be slightly separated for the beds to move independently. That way, you can also get different widths and/or lengths if need be. His bed is 84" long since he is 6'1" and that would be too long for me; likewise, his bed is 8" wider than mine. I am never too far to reach him from my bed. It is not a perfect solution but the best we found.

Hope this helps.
 
For Liz and anyone else that might read it...

If pressure sores are an issue--an alternating pressure mattress should be used (at least a pad) The mattresses are medicare approved, so should only be 20% co-pay if there is no other insurance or medicaid.

Sometimes, for those without medicare, they can be found on CL or on Am a zon used at a better price. But, the pads are usually around $100, so not terribly expensive. Of course, the mattresses are more expensive.
 
So if we were to have Medicare pay for it, who do we go through to get it? Ive never gotten my PALS equipment. He already had everything when I met him.
 
Check with ALSA or MDA first. Maybe they have a loaner or can get you a discount.

AL.
 
ALSA at least here does have loaner beds available. Unfortunately, what they had available was too short for my PALS.
If you contact a DME that supplies hospital beds (I used Electropedic and the hospital bed is made by Linak), they can do the paperwork w/ Medicare. You will need to supply an rx for the bed and documentation supporting the need for it. Whatever clinic you use will be accustomed to doing this.

Of course, if you buy a separate bed for yourself that is your own cost, but you should be able to get a better deal if you buy 2 beds at once.
 
Yes, both the alternating pressure pads and the specialized mattresses are available with Medicare with a physician order. A medical supply store in your area can give you the information on them, Liz.

Not all supplies are medicare approved at every store. For instance, one store I like locally for scooter stuff didn't win the Medicare bid.
 
another question-
There is a major price difference in alot of these mattresses. Does anyone know first hand if the cheap ones REALLY work? Or is this a situation where you get what you pay for?
Some of these things are 2G's. Maybe well worth it, but are they?
Help please
 
Hmm I did not know medicare would pay for beds or mattresses
 
Joni I called a mattress supply place tonight and talked to a guy about it.
Ray has a stage 3 or 4 sore right now and a couple stage 1's starting. I asked the guy how we go about getting medicare to pay
for the mattress. He said that they are just a mattress supply place, so they dont bill medicare. BUT... we can send the bill, and the prescription that the dr will be writing out to Medicare and they will repay Ray 80%. So he does need to come up with the money in advance, the one ive been looking into is $1,350 (no shipping or tax). When he gets repaid, it will have cost him $270.
There are cheaper mattresses, but his sores are advanced and not all mattresses help to TREAT sores in those stages. You can get cheaper ones.

There is another option, but less appealing to our situation- the Dr can write out a Rx for a mattress and go thru the medical supply company that the Dr is associated with. The thing with that is, you pretty much get what they have around, you have to rent it, and when the sores heal, you have to return it. For us, this doesnt work as we need help to prevent future sores in a big way. Ray has complete paralysis... His skin is getting thinner as he ages and as he gets more sores, his skin is now comprimised. We will always have issues unfortunately.

Im sure there are other options in getting these things, but this is what i learned tonight. Hope this helps my friend.
 
the alternating pressure mattresses help, too--although they are much more comfortable with a tempurpedic type pad over them.

Medicare will pay for the specialized mattresses--they make them with gel, air and water--depending on what the doc orders--and some insurance plans cover the 20% deductible if you get a supplemental plan with Medicare.

As it's "medicare choose" time--it's a good idea to look into all the various plans and how much they cover--they can NOT turn down anyone with ALS--only those with End Stage Renal Failure
 
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