Bed Rail
For the elderly, young children or people recovering from trauma such as surgery, a Bed rail is a crucial tool to help prevent injuries from falling out of bed. Bed rails are also incredibly helpful to help mobility in bed. There are many different Bed rail designs and each is made to address specific needs. Because the way a Bed rail is used is so specific to certain needs, it is important that you purchase the right one.
Before buying Bed rails, you need to ask yourself why you need a Bed rail:
- Do you need assistance getting in and out of bed?
- Do you need assistance sitting up while in bed?
- Do you need something to protect you from falling out of bed?
The most basic Bed rails are designed to address one of these three needs. However, there are also many different designs which incorporate combinations of these needs.
Bed Rails for Getting In/Out of Bed
With Bed rails that aid in getting in and out of bed, their size as well as location on the bed are incredibly important. Generally, these Bed rails are smaller with widths of about 20 inches. They work best when located as far towards the head of a bed as possible.
There are several ways to use these types of Bed rails to get into bed. However, this method generally works best.
Sit down on the bed next to the Bed rail.
- Grasp the Bed rail with your hand closest to it. Then, lift your legs into the bed.
- Now, grasping the Bed rail with both hands, pull with your arms while pushing with your legs until you are in a comfortable position in bed.
- To get out of bed, reverse the process.
It is important that the Bed rail isn’t too wide because this will make it more difficult to get into position in bed. However, this makes them less suitable for keeping you from falling out of bed.
Bed Rails for Aiding in Sitting Up in Bed
Almost all Bed rails will be able to help you sit up while in bed. However, there are some designs specifically for this purpose. For example, you can get a strap which is attached to the foot of the bed and can be pulled on for assistance in getting up.
Bed Rails to Prevent Falling
If falling out of bed is a concern, then the Bed rail must be at least the length of your torso. However, these types of Bed rails can make it difficult to get in and out of bed because they hinder access. Because of this, many Bed rails for falling protection also can be folded down out of the way.
Additional Features
There are some Bed rails which have features that will give you assistance for various needs. However, the most important aspect of choosing a Bed rail is that it securely can be attached to the bed. You may also want to look for reversible Bed rails which can go on both sides of the bed, ergonomic handles, or pouches which can be used for storage of small items.
