Enabling easier bed transfers with Dementia and Parkinson’s

John Lane, 84 from Milton Ernest, Bedfordshire, is supported at home by his wife and full-time carer, Pam aged 73. Before owning a Rotoflex, Pam was struggling to get John in and out of bed on her own. As John needs manual lifting, Pam was experiencing back pain and they were both at risk of a fall. This unsustainable situation has now been resolved with a Rotoflex 235 Mk2 bed from Theraposture.

Before retiring at 67, John worked in construction and ran a successful shop fitting business with his wife for over 20 years. Clients included several of the leading supermarket chains and outside of work, Pam was a county level athlete in hurdling and netball. Despite Pam’s involvement with sport ensuring mobility in later years, she was struggled to move John in and out of bed.

John was diagnosed with Parkinson’s 11 years ago and dementia in 2018 which are progressively compromising his mobility and cognitive abilities. Pam independently cares for John 24/7 without assistance from the local authority, in a reasonably spacious house without adaptations for accessibility.

“I can lift John’s legs to help with draining retained fluid – no other rotating bed has a Unique Powered Rising Foot Support.”

John is able to walk using a frame and with Pam at his side, however accessing a bed was becoming impossible up until May of this year. This difficulty was exacerbated by floor and lift his legs and then move him to the middle of the bed. When you are trying to lift a man that is heavy at 95 kilos, it can really take its toll on your back.

We are lucky that we have a large study and cloakroom downstairs so John can sleep there and I can wash him, however I still need help getting him mobile.

Hospital beds can help you sit up but they don’t get you in and out of bed without hoisting. Plus they do not stand you up from a seated position whereas the Rotoflex does.”

“When I started looking into the Rotoflex I noticed other companies seemed to manufacture similar beds and that they were cheaper. They initially looked the same as the Rotoflex however after more research and talking to several companies, it was clear the patented Rotoflex was a product far better suited for Parkinson’s and Theraposture were much more knowledgeable.

When compared to what I read about the Rotoflex, the quality was just not there with the other beds. I picked Theraposture as they were so helpful and didn’t act like a sales company. As we used to run our own business, we’re not naive as we know how you sell things and can see why the higher price for the Rotoflex is justified.

Nick who came and did our home assessment was lovely and equally as obliging. I’d also read with interest about the patented Unique Powered Rising Foot Support as John has swollen legs so at night I could raise his legs to help with draining retained fluid. No other rotating bed can support the whole leg and heel as the Rotoflex does.”

“Our Rotoflex helps us both equally – it’s truly a God-send”

“Theraposture were extremely helpful on the phone especially when listening to our needs. It was so nice talking to a real person and not a machine which is unfortunately so common these days. Liam understood our challenges and Theraposture’s in-house Occupational Therapist talked the same language as the OTs that were helping us.

We only had to wait six weeks for the bed to be delivered and even though there was a slight delay with the specialist mattress, this was not a problem. Theraposture supplied us with a standard mattress so John could use the bed right away and swapped it free of charge when they could. We appreciate all manufacturers are having supply problems these days, but it wasn’t too long and they kept us informed all the way, we never had to chase.

I believe we received an excellent level of service as Theraposture is a family-run business – these types of organisations tend to look after their customers and staff in a more caring way.” Today Pam and John’s Rotoflex provides vital support for both of them and ensures the need for costly residential or domiciliary care can be avoided.

To get John into bed, the Rotoflex can be placed in the upright seated position and raised to a height that is comfortable for John to sit down independently and in a controlled manner.

“I press just one button… he gives me a wave and then he’s off! The bed does all the work.”

To get John off the bed from the seated position, Pam raises the complete bed using the height adjustment with the seat section remaining level – not tipping forward like many alternative designs. This gives John stability and reassurance and reduces the risk of a fall whilst transferring to his walker. He then has the confidence to walk away from the bedroom with Pam close by for direction.

With the Rotoflex, Pam also doesn’t need to worry if John resists her assistance when accessing the bed as the Rotoflex provides all the powered support he needs. It lifts, rotates and lowers John into a sleeping position with infinite adjustment of the head and foot end. Now no manual handling is needed, Pam jokes with John that it is like: “being on fairground ride…I press just one button… he gives me a wave and then he’s off! The bed does all the work.”

Pam adds: “A feature that was very important to us was the battery backup. If we have a power cut, which we frequently get here, John is stuck in his rise and recliner chair and I have to get a neighbour to come and help me.

I did not what the same issue with an electric bed. I’ve also chosen a five-year warranty package, so we get annual servicing of the bed and everything is covered as we’d be lost if it stopped working.”

Getting in and out of bed easily with Dementia and Parkinson’s – Rotoflex client video

Pam cares 24/7 for her husband John who has Dementia and Parkinson’s. Their rotating Rotoflex from Theraposture is a ‘God send’ as it enables John to get in and out of bed without the need for manual lifting from Pam – increasing safety for both of them.

Pam concludes: “As a Parkinson’s UK Bedford volunteer, I say to everyone in our group, you are more than welcome to come around and see our Rotoflex in action, I keep telling everyone how wonderful it is. We have had no issues with the bed, it has been very reliable and quiet. However, I know if we did have a problem, Theraposture would be there to help, they are very reassuring and I trust them.”

“It’s only when you live with someone with dementia do you truly understand the challenges you face and why the support of Theraposture is so important.

I feel assured he is safe at night as I sleep upstairs with a monitor in my room and during the day it helps me keep John active. This bed makes a massive difference as I care for John, on my own, around the clock – it helps us both equally I’d said and is truly a God-send.”