Adaptations/suggestions for getting my dad into bed

Herald

It's me again! My dad has Lewy Body Dementia, which gives him Parkinson's like mobility issues. He has trouble getting into bed. He can sit on the edge of the bed and my mum helps him raise his legs, but he is then lying diagonally across their double bed and doesn't have the strength to straighten himself up. This means she then has to try to pull him towards her to straighten him in the bed. This is difficult for her as he is quite heavy, she is 83, lacks the strengths and has her own health issues.

An Occupational Therapist provided us with a bed rail on the side so that Dad could pull himself over to straighten himself. This was fine at the time, but his strength has diminished and he can't do that anymore. She also provided a satin sheet so that it would be easier for Dad to moved around on the bed. Again, it was OK to start with, but he just can't move himself much.

Another Occupational Therapist has now suggested a bed wedge so that my dad can push his feet against it to help him slide up the bed, but the issue is the fact that he ends up lying diagonally in the bed so I'm not sure this would help. She also suggested that a back rest (one that lowers and rises) might be a help - I think this may do because if he's more upright, the strength in his arms may be better.

Independently (i.e. not suggested by the OT), we're also thinking of renting a bed which has a rotating chair inbuilt that transfers you from a sitting position into the bed and then lies you flat. Does anyone have any experience of these? Any issues with them?

Can anyone think of any other options there may be that we haven't thought of? It's really taking a toll on both my mum and dad so I'd like to get something sorted out for them.

Thank you in advance.

onedayatatime

Hello there @Herald . I think I know the bed rail you mentioned and the trouble being that you need to have the strength to use it and be positioned near it to grab hold of it. You mentioned a bed with a rotating built in seat. I'm pretty sure there is a type of swivelling seat pad that you can purchase by itself, sometimes used to get in and out of the car or to rotate on a bath seat. Wandering if that alone could be of any use. Have a look at Argos at a swivel cushion.

Herald

Thank you for your comment and I'm so sorry it's taken such a long time to come back to you. That's a good idea, the swivelling seat and I'll have a look on the Argos website for a cushion to see if that works. Thank you so much for taking the time to reply.