A couple of years ago, we bought mum a hospital style bed, as it seemed the sensible thing to do. She had rolled out of her ordinary bed, onto the floor a couple of times and had started to get disorientated about time and place, as well as having a few night time accidents (she wears disposable pads at night, but if she has a bad day, it's almost a given that during the night she will pull them off and urinate in the bed) so a bed with a sealed-in, wipe-clean mattress, sides we could slide up and the ability to change position seemed the right thing.
By and large, it has worked well. Mum now has my brother living in the house, so he can respond to any night time emergencies, which are becoming more frequent when mum wakes up and forgets where she is, or gets herself the wrong way around in the bed and feels trapped.
The big problem is that the bottom sheet, however well we try to tuck it in, will slide over the mattress and although it's really comfy while you are lying still, it is the most awkward bed to shift around in and change position. I've ordered a mattress topper made of fleece, to see if that helps give her some extra traction. She is now demanding I get rid of the bed because it is 'too short' and 'too narrow' and genuinely can't understand why some days it is fine and others, not just the bed had changed shape, but the wall and the table have also changed sides in the room! I've tried putting a little night light on the bedside table, but her misunderstandings only take place when she's in her confused state and when she gets to that state, she claims she can't see anything either (sometimes this is because she refuses to open her eyes, but at other times, she just has a blank stare as though she isn't really focussing on anything)
The bed has so many benefits (not least the mattress and the padded sides) but are there any alternatives? Or are there any new strategies I can try, besides promising to 'sort out' the bed every time it happens?
By and large, it has worked well. Mum now has my brother living in the house, so he can respond to any night time emergencies, which are becoming more frequent when mum wakes up and forgets where she is, or gets herself the wrong way around in the bed and feels trapped.
The big problem is that the bottom sheet, however well we try to tuck it in, will slide over the mattress and although it's really comfy while you are lying still, it is the most awkward bed to shift around in and change position. I've ordered a mattress topper made of fleece, to see if that helps give her some extra traction. She is now demanding I get rid of the bed because it is 'too short' and 'too narrow' and genuinely can't understand why some days it is fine and others, not just the bed had changed shape, but the wall and the table have also changed sides in the room! I've tried putting a little night light on the bedside table, but her misunderstandings only take place when she's in her confused state and when she gets to that state, she claims she can't see anything either (sometimes this is because she refuses to open her eyes, but at other times, she just has a blank stare as though she isn't really focussing on anything)
The bed has so many benefits (not least the mattress and the padded sides) but are there any alternatives? Or are there any new strategies I can try, besides promising to 'sort out' the bed every time it happens?