Therapeutic and bariatric beds

My first post in a while and it is back to one of my favoured subjects which is beds and mattresses of the orthopedic variety.

As previous posts have pointed out there are many different bed designs and mattress materials and fillers and all have a place depending on individual requirements and budgets.

This time I will make some observations and comments on adjustable beds and therapeutic beds, both of which are used in the medical and care sectors as well as in the home. These tend to be beds for dependency patients, people who spend prolonged periods of time in bed, or people who are recovering from an accident, injury, or procedure and for whom rest is critical to their recovery.

Therapeutic beds are usually beds based around wellbeing and providing the best possible support to the resting body, or beds intended to offer some kind of direct therapy like massage. A bed termed a “therapy bed” is more usually a bed from which a manual therapy is delivered by a practitioner and this is normally differentiated as being dissimilar to a therapeutic bed.

So what can you expect from a therapeutic bed? Well just about anything as the description is pretty open ended.

Many therapeutic bed types have memory foam mattresses and they may have some kind of frame based adjustment, often to enable the raising or lowering of the bed, or even to enable the incline of the backrest to be varied. This option may also apply to the leg support part of the bed and mattress. These adjustments can be electric or manually powered.

More exotic features can include embedded heaters to warm up the mattress and bedding and even special motors that can simulate a massage. Some massage features even allow the selection from a number of different massage techniques and timers allow the massage period to be preset.

High dependency beds tend to move away from the “luxury” features bed to a more practical bed design. These beds take into account the fact that a carer may be working with a patient and need constant access to all parts of the bed area. These beds focus on height adjustment to enable patient comfort, movement and ingress at a suitable level.


A further type of therapeutic bed, and one that is rapidly increasing in popularity and demand, is the bariatric bed (an oversized heavy duty bed). Bariatric beds are special bed and mattress combinations that have been developed for very large and heavy people. These people are often referred to as obese, however in the medical profession they are part of an area of medical care called bariatrics. Bariatrics looks at the care, treatment and aids that can be used to make the life of very overweight people easier, healthier and more like that of normal sized individuals. Methods include treatments and procedures, diet and exercise advice and the provision of assistive aids and furniture of which the bariatric bed is one example.

Further reading on these wellbeing and care focussed beds can be found by using the links provided in the text. There is a considerable amount of information covering all of the variations of orthopedic, therapeutic and body supporting beds accessible from these pages.

Finally, if you have not given serious thought to the health of your back and how your body recovers and regenerates during the night, you should. If you do you will discover that good sleep, aided by a good bed and mattress, is critical to a long and healthy life.

Swimming

Swimming is of course one of the best ways to stay healthy and also one of the best ways to rehabilitate many injuries.

Swimming has a zero impact effect on the body, so joints, ligaments and tendons do not suffer. Furthermore, it gives a real all-body workout that means that almost any swimming stroke will exercise and tone every muscle from those of the fingers and toes to the large abdominals.

The constant pressure of the water also ensures that resistance is constant, but equally that swimming need not be overly strained or tiring. How hard you swim and how long you choose to swim for will determine the level of your workout. Even swimming for pleasure and simply moving around in water works the muscles.

All told this makes swimming an exercise that is sympathetic with orthopedics and good for all round health. It is also a readily available way to get exercise as swimming pools are located in towns and cities in almost every country of the western world.

Swimming options include municipal pools, pools at Spa complexes and swimming in open water. The latter can include the sea, or even lakes and rivers. However, all open water can be dangerous and should only attract the strong swimmer who is aware of their limitations as well as being conscious of the water conditions, e.g. temperature, depth etc.

Swimming regularly is the best way to build up good strength and stamina and to work the joints and keep them mobile and free. For some, one option is to have their own private swimming pool. These pools need not be as expensive as one might at first think and they can often be situated outdoors and use heaters and filtration systems to keep the water temperature comfortable and the pool water clean and hygienic.

Having your own pool makes swimming at any time a possibility and by using a pool enclosure it is possible and practical to swim at any time of year in comfort and relative warmth.

The basic kit needed for pool ownership requires the pool structure (this “may” require excavation) plus a number of ancillary items. These items include a proper filtration system which in turn necessitates a pump to feed water through it and this can also be used to circulate heated up water that is warmed by a pool heater.

The pool will additionally require a special lining which can be tiles or a vinyl liner and then there are cleaning aids which come in the form of devices and chemicals.

Once set up most pools are fairly easy to maintain, however in the case of outside pools it is important to keep heat in and debris out and this will usually necessitate the use of a solar pool cover. This covers up and protects the pool and pool water. With an internal pool the protection element is not as important.

Technological developments in physical human aids

Somewhere along the line I have managed to miss posting on this blog for over a month, so I will rectify the situation now with a new post.

The subject of this post is related to orthopedic based products, however it is perhaps more directly connected with products in the mobility and health sector. The nature of the product types that I am covering are those which have benefited from some kind of automation, power-assistance, computer technology or other technological intervention. In other words products very much connected with overcoming mobility, movement or disability, but with a modern twist.

As little as 20 or 30 years ago very few products falling into the classification of “human aids” were what could be described as technologically advanced. An obvious example is the wheelchair which, up until quite recently, had seen little in the way of advancement. Indeed the number of aids was very limited and this meant that those with any kind of limiting physical condition had to rely to a significant degree on carers or family members for help.

Things have now changed and items like wheelchairs come in powered formats and, in addition, there is a range of mobility scooters, some of which are even road worthy.

Other large body moving aids like stairlifts and bathlifts have also become very affordable and they are now common place in many homes. These large aids enable someone who has limited mobility to retain their independence for longer. They can only exist because of the advances made in miniaturising motors and developing advanced and controllable robotics.

The large aids are however only one area where advancements in technology have seen benefits.

Many small scale aids have also emerged and most of these solve the smaller, but still challenging, tasks of daily life. A good example is the can, bottle top and tin opener that requires only a single touch to activate it. This device can be a massive aid to those who find opening a tin, or screwing the top off a bottle difficult.

Technology also rears its head when it comes to measurements and providing readings. A good example of this would be a blood sugar alarm for those suffering from diabetes. These alarms use advanced sensors, digital components and audible sounds to notify the wearer that their blood sugar level has dropped to a point where action needs to be taken. Prior to these aids, regular blood tests were the only reliable warning option.

More information relating to the large number of health aids that fall into this category can be fou by looking in mobility stores and websites and there are now developments taking place on a continual basis which see new aids emerging all of the time.

New trends in aid development include features like miniaturisation and the ability to obtain very accurate readings and measurements using equipment with digital interfaces and small computer like processors.

Some general observations

I wrote about the new concept of five fingers shoes back in December last year and, at that time, I thought that these clever shoe designs would really take off.

Well, in the UK at least they have not. Exactly why this is the case is impossible to tell, but my guess is that a mix of a very high prices (i.e. over £100/pair), the need for special socks (e.g. over £10/pair), and a lack of any real marketing publicity, has kept their profile low. At the same time stores are never keen to stock high priced products without proper advertising campaigns to back them up.

Naturally is it far from being too late for these shoes to take off, but they certainly seem to be stagnating at the moment and the prospect of buying shoes (that you cannot try on) on the web is not everyone’s first choice.

Even so, they remain a product to watch with interest.

I mentioned a couple of years back that I was trying out a gel mouse mat, i.e. one of those with a wrist rest that elevates the hand. At the time I thought that it was pretty good. But I now notice that I have in fact tuned it around so that the gel pad is out of the way and no longer in use.

I must have done this without consciously noticing, but it suggests that I prefer the basic mat design without the extra protruding pad.

On to beds, mattresses and bedding products, and another observation that I can make is that 3 or 4 years ago there were plenty of Latex mattresses and pillows. I personally consider the latex foam to be superior to visco elastic memory foam, however others clearly do not as latex seems to have all but disappeared.

Again, I suspect that a failure in marketing (when compared to memory foam) is at the heart of the problem. In any event, getting hold of a latex pillow is now all but impossible.
So far this year there have been no great new innovations in the world of orthopedic products. This in itself is not that unusual as real innovation is a rare thing. However, the re-packaging of something that already exists as “the next big thing” is not. Even so this has yet to happen in 2011. There is of course plenty of time left for that to happen.

Finally, I wonder to what extent the (UK) TV comedy show “Benidorm” has increased mobility scooter sales to those who don’t really need them.

It would seem that we have moved from a position where only the mobility challenged would ride them - to where they became viewed as also being a bariatric aid - and now they are for everyone, even those with no mobility restriction at all.

It just shows how perceptions change. One minute something is perceived as a disability aid, and the next minute it is the latest “must have” accessory.

Is a cheap mattress worth the money?

This is actually a very important question because why should you spend several hundred pounds on a product that you could buy for £99 (or $99) or less.

So, when it comes to a mattress do you get what you pay for, or is it all hype?

A good mattress gets its value from a number of factors. They include - the quality of the materials, the quality of its construction (build), and the way in which it has been designed.

Mattress materials include springs, foams, fillings, fabrics and in some cases latex and even magnets or water. The more materials there are in the mattress, combined with the complexity of assembling it, the more expensive it will be. High quality materials naturally add more to the cost of the mattress. This is why orthopedic quality mattresses cost more than many others.

So the general picture quickly becomes one of getting what you pay for. In other words if you “buy cheap” you will get a product utilising cheap materials, a simple and low quality build or assembly and the technology in the mattress will be very limited.

Mark-up on beds and mattresses, and especially orthopedic beds, is usually a standard percentage, but this of course means that the more the mattress costs to make, the more the mark-up will be. Again this is another factor that cause a disproportional increase in the value of a cheap versus a more expensive mattress.

So should you buy a cheap mattresses or a more expensive model?

If you want quality, comfort and value over a long period of time (i.e. probably over 10 years), then you should spend a significant amount of money wisely. A cheap mattress is very much a short term solution. It will save you money now, but you will be back in the market place looking for a replacement in 2 to 4 years. This however, is the way that some people like it and, so long as you do not sleep on a failing mattress, you can adopt this “buy and replace” approach.

So what is the big difference between cheap and expensive?

The difference between a budget mattress and an expensive mattress is the life expectancy that you can expect before comfort, support and build quality break down.

A cheap mattress “can” provide a good level of comfort, but it will have a comparatively short user-life. So, if you work out “mattress worth” based on a formula using the number of years use that you get from it, you become aware that cheap beds actually have a similar “annual cost” to expensive ones.

In simple terms the saving of buying a cheap mattress over an expensive one is not a saving at all if you look at all of your mattress purchases over the long term.

A couple of unusual ideas/devices

I have just been looking at a site covering what it describes as “WALKING AID Orthopedic Devices”. These “aids” are very space-age in appearance although, at a first glance, I was not quite sure what their orthopedic properties actually were.

On a closer inspection and, having read the information, they are automated walkers for children or adults who have a condition like cerebral palsy, or who are recovering or in rehabilitation from an accident or injury. What I liked most about these devices is the fact that they look good and would draw attention for reasons of style rather than reasons of disability. The page in question is here - http://psipunk.com/walking-aid-orthopedic-device-by-luke-forward/. The pictures are diagrammatic and they indicate one of the devices in use.

Something else!

At second item of orthopedic interest that I have been taking a look at is an orthopedic mouse. This is of course a computer mouse, but even so, how one makes it orthopedic is quite a question. The answer however can be seen on this page http://www.agadget.net/orthopedic-mouse/ and I for one quite like the idea behind it.

The way it works is quite novel. Rather than moving the mouse right or left, or up or down to move the mouse curser across the screen you simply tilt the mouse.

This works because the mouse is in fact in a fixed (non-movable) position. However the functioning and ergonomic section of the mouse (the bit you hold) is elevated above its base and literally rocks in any direction based on where you want your mouse curser to go. That is, you tilt forward to move up the screen, backwards to move down the screen and left or right to mimic that direction. During all of these small movements the mouse stays glued to its spot meaning that you always have it located in your most personally ergonomic position.

Other than that, all of the other functions of the mouse are conventional in operation, so it is simple to learn and use. So how much does it cost and is it currently available – I have no idea.

Stair and perch lifts – a mobility solution

Getting up and down a flight of stairs gets more difficult as people get older. Accidents, illnesses and other health issues can additionally make ascending and descending steps challenging and even dangerous.

The solution to getting from one level to another, particularly in a house, can often be a stairlift.

Stairlifts come in many forms including one where you are transported whilst still standing. Lifts of this type are called perch stairlifts and are ideal for those who find standing up and sitting down hard. This means that anyone who uses a riser recliner chair may find a perch lift easier to use than a regular stair lift.

More conventional stairlifts use a seat which will have a backrest and often armrests. A seat belt or security strap will be compulsory in some countries and this secures the “traveller” in place during the transition.

Stairlifts can travel up and down straight flights of steps or move around corners. Turning or curved stairlifts are more expensive as the curved sections need to be “made to measure” for the stairway in question.

If the curved section simply deals with a landing, then it will be combined with straight elements which will keep costs down, however, if the stairway is a spiral one it will have a much greater cost.

There are limitation to where and how a stairlift can be fitted.

Naturally the width of the stair needs to be sufficient to accommodate the lift and chair and the adjacent wall must be a structural one that can take the weight and fixings of the track and chair mechanism.

Certain spiral stairs can be too narrow and/or too curved to receive a stairlift installation, however this kind of occurrence is unusual.
When not in use the stairlift chair usually comes to rest just around the top or bottom bend of the stair. This means that it does not obstruct the stair and prevent more mobile people from climbing it.

Most stairlift installations can be fitted in a single day, however the manufacturing time may result in a delay between ordering and fitting. This delay will depend on how busy the supplier is and how many sections of made-to-measure tracking are required.

Once fitted a stairlift can be expected to function without problems for many years. The motors are normally robust and reliable and, although occasional servicing is required, they prove cheap to run and maintain.

Though once very expensive, this kind of mobility apparatus is now common place in many homes and it can keep a two storey house easily accessible even if personal mobility becomes an issue.