Where It's AT – Assistive Technology Blog

Contributed by Joe Vosters and Sara Roehrig from Bill-Ray Home Mobility

Keeping people at home benefits everyone, and here is a new product to assist in that.  Friendly Beds focuses on improved safety (for person and caregiver), independence, mobility, self-esteem, strength conditioning, etc.  Getting in/out of bed (and repositioning in bed) can be difficult for people with many disabilities (especially Parkinsons) and presents a great risk of injury for both the person and caregiver – our product is often a perfect solution. In some cases, we are the main reason a person remains at home – in others we can be their ticket out of a nursing home.

Main Points for Friendly Beds –

• Injury/fall prevention – heavy-duty components allow a person to help themselves, preventing injury to the person and caregiver.
• Strength conditioning possibilities – exercise (in disguise) for overall health improvements.
• Allows couples to remain sleeping together despite mobility issues – a choice they never had before. 
• Independence/self-esteem improvements – ease in self-repositioning for comfort and reduced risk of bed sores.  
• Helps keep people where they prefer to be at home. 
• Cost is less than 2 weeks in a nursing home and far less than the cost of a serious injury to person or caregiver. 
• The transfer bar option for people with little/no leg strength is unique and critical for some people to remain home at all. 

Friendly Beds is new, innovative, and unique – there is no other product with a three-foot-long trapeze, heavy-duty pivoting assist rails, attached balance pole, over-the-mattress nightstands, a transfer bar (for people with little/no leg strength), etc.  The product allows people to sleep in their normal wide bed (with space to roll over or sleep with a bed partner) despite the issues of age/disability – a choice that never existed before.

For more information please visit www.FriendlyBeds.com