Raising the head of a double divan bed with casters

[NoCareNoFair]

My Mum has numerous conditions, including severe Alzheimer's, and is living at home with live in carers.

She has a cough caused by fluid on the lungs which the GP tells me is caused by heart failure.

The GP has recommended raising the head of the bed to the height of the yellow pages so that she can sleep easier at night as lieing flat makes her cough.

I have been investigating bed risers, but they all seem to be for raising the whole bed. I only need to raise the head. Her bed is a double divan bed with casters on 6 legs. I am worried by putting risers under the head legs and then half risers under the middle legs, the foot legs will be taking all the weight of her heavy bed and therefore this is not a safe solution.

Would a bed wedge be a better solution? Does anyone know how they work (under/over mattress?)? And do they work? And does anyone have any recommendations or alternative suggestions.

I want my Mum to be as comfortable as possible - which includes being able to sleep - for as long as she has left.

I just saw this in trending and don’t have experience of the issues your mum has, but I was recommended to raise my bed due to silent reflux which makes me cough at night. I have a foam wedge shaped pillow which works really well - it also means only my side of the bed is raised. It goes on top of the under sheet and then regular pillows on top, and has a removable cover for washing. I think it was about £50 on Amazon. (There were cheaper options but I wanted something firm and spent ages reading the reviews.)

Take the casters off. Then put thick books or bits of wood under the part you want raising. I wrapped some rough material over the wood to prevent any slippiness which helped.

The problem with just using the wedge is that the whole body isn't on a gentle slope but the body is bent halfway down, this can prevent expanding the lungs fully due to the angle. Great for reflux but not so great for lung capacity.

Edit
You've actually reminded me of something I bought during the lockdown for when I had covid and couldn't breathe. Is something like this more suitable as its adjustable?
https://www.essentialaids.com/bedroom-aids/bed-assists/luxury-adjustable-back-rest.html

If money isn't an issue, what about an electric adjustable bed?

Ask GP for an OT assessment. They will then supply everything.

I have an electric bed/mattress riser thing on my bed. It’s only for the top half. This is for mobility reasons, but was arranged through either (or both) adult services/occupational health quite a few years ago. Would this be an option to explore?

Check out the medical aid websites. Sounds like you need a mattress riser. It's a plug in that looks like a big blue bladder. Pop it under the mattress and inflate. About one hundred pounds. Very good.

Thank you. That was the kind of thing I was wondering about.

Thank you. Yes I was thinking about that initially, but won't most of the weight of the bed be then on the legs at the foot of the bed rather than distributed evenly between all 6 legs? The last thing I want would be for her bed to come crashing down in the night.

I take your point about wedges bending the person in the middle. I see there are full length under mattress versions, but they are £300!

That's a lot of money (which could be an issue - I don't know how long she has and care costs a lot of money...). Her only issue with bed at the moment is lieing flat makes her cough and wakes her up, so I'm not sure she actually needs an electric adjustable bed and will probably be ok with something simpler.

Thank you for replying. However we literally just saw the GP who told me to use a couple of Yellow Pages sizes objects to raise the bed. There was no offer of an OT assessment!

Also, I'm not sure they do that for people with advanced Alzheimer's - her needs change and accelerate every day and I also expect the waiting list is fairly long.

Thank you. It would go for this if it was a long term condition, but she has Alzheimer's which is progressing and changing every day.

£100? Ouch! I was thinking £50 was steep!!
Do inflatable ones work ok? It makes me think of my experience with airbeds which slowly deflated overnight...

Put something under the mattress, not the bed/bed legs

Suspect GP thought he was being helpful - without realising nobody has Yellow Pages anymore and it's actually hard to do on a double bed.

I'd e-consult back asking for it - there are proper pieces of kit to raise castors, bed raisers for sitting up, hospital beds etc etc. And the OT will assess everything not just the bed, there may be bathroom needs, pressure area care and so on.

You shouldn't be having to improvise or buy stuff yourself. Wait list for an NHS OT should not be hugely long - does your Mum see the district nurses at all as they can refer and also order some equipment.

I agree - OT assessment is the way to go. That way you know you're getting the correct, safe equipment.

Raising the head of the bed is great for humans but dreadful for the bed and the floor! (We did it and managed to break the bed!) You can buy half wedges (needs to be at least 30cm at the thickest part) which you put under the pillow and it supports your upper body. Works well unless you move around a lot and will slide down it. Or you can get whole bed wedges which go under the mattress, made of foam so dont affect the comfort of the mattress. These come from specialist suppliers and cost £350 upwards, the pillow wedges is much less and you can get it on amazon.

They can also be loaned for shorter term issues, as well as long term. They will collect it after it is no longer in use.

I was advised to do this for bronchiectasis when I had fluid on my lungs.
The problem with a wedge is that you then just slide down. I would wake up coughing and in my sleep I had shuffled my pillow and myself down

The solution that worked best was a couple of very thick hardback books under both the feet at the head end.
Was it bad for the bed, probably but it worked.

The GP is behind the times - Yellow Pages indeed! And what happens when the bed slips off and squashes a Carer's foot!

Your mother needs an OT assessment and they will provide the necessary equipment/appropriate bed - enquire at the surgery. In my recent experience with a neighbour they came out within days

You don't need the GP to refer for an OT to come out its usually self referral through adult social services and they will come out to assess and supply any necessary equipment free of charge. In my area it is a contact centre number through the council that you pay your council tax to.
My concern with using books would be making the bed unstable for her transferring out of it and I have had patients whose mattress have slipped off the bed partially due to home made solutions leading to a fall.

A bunch of pillows, or see if she can qualify for an NHS bed.
The NHS bed for my Mum was way better than the expensive electric bed we got her that she didn't like that Dad now has.