Adjustable beds

FYI I spent many hours in an adjustable bed in the ED of the John Hunter Hospital. I loved it, and I want one. I swear it was the most comfortable I have felt in decades. Now to find one of equal quality!!

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But perhaps a slightly lower price?

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Welcome to the forum.

I would suggest that you visit retailers of rehabilitation equipment and equipment for the elderly as they are likely to have a wider range of adjustable beds.

Visit as many stores as you can to get to see as wide a range of brands and models as possible. Try lying on each of them for a while, until you find what suits you. Make sure you find work out what sort of mattress you like (soft/med/hard). Make sure the bed you want comes with that sort of mattress. [Note that the adjustable bed mattresses are different in that they need to be able to bend with the base, and do so repeatedly without breaking or damage.]

Once you find that bed and mattress combination that works for you, lie on it in the store for an extended period to make sure it is comfortable.

Questions to ask:

  • What is the warranty period? The beds we have came with a 10yr warranty.
  • Is there local support from the distributor or manufacturer if there are any issues with the bed?
  • How long has that model been around? Newer models tend to have more bells and whistles such as a cordless remote control, and a massage (the bed vibrates) function.
  • Where is it made? I have been told by lots of retailers that the Chinese manufactured beds are cheaper but don’t last as long and get faults more often. Parts for beds made overseas may be harder to get. The Australian beds I looked at tended to be older technology and more clunky. (This may have changed.)
  • If you don’t like the bed, can you change it for another one? If so, how much does it cost to exchange? This may be the cost of transportation, or it could be more.
  • Does it have a zero G setting?
  • Can you raise and lower the whole bed? (May be very useful for getting in and out of bed, or for support worker/massage therapist to assist/treat you.)
  • Can you tilt the whole bed? (This is only necessary for some medical conditions)
  • Is the head and foot end controllable seperately?
  • Can you get replacement mattresses?
  • Will the bed(s) fit into the available space where they will be located? Adjustable beds take up more room than standard beds due to the base.
  • Does it come with a removable head and foot bar to stop the mattress moving?
  • What other mod cons does it have? (Ours has a USB charging port on either side, vibrate head or foot or both function, and, LED lights underneath that give out a soft light which may be useful at night.)

As a final note, we bought Avante beds and are very happy with them

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There is an interesting point in one of the older posts to the topic:

It may be worth discussing with a health professional who knows your medical conditions about individual needs before looking in earnest. If you have assessable needs knowing how they are assisted in a managed care facility should assist in determining which features you do need, and with what to ask for in an adjustable bed. This assumes there is a budget and value is important, and spending more on unnecessary features will be wasted. eg a manually set elevated head end and simple under knee bolster might be more than adequate. Set and forget.

Simple advice. Work out you needs from the adjustable bed and what it must do first. We’re all different when it comes to sleeping and body complaints as we age. What suits one of us may be torture for another. Businesses may push a long list of health benefits at the top of the list. They are likely worth zero if the bed chosen does not suit your preferred sleeping position. IE if you were raised in one part of Asia sleeping on the floor on a thin mat with a hard neck rest might be the healthiest according to local tradition. Health claims are not universal.

P.S.
We’ve been around the loop over several years with one of our older family members. Adjustable all singing and dancing retail product at home. She preferred to sleep on the lounge with a bunch of pillows rather than ‘that bed’. Two rounds in rehab had all singing dancing Gold played hospital beds complete with massaging air toppers. Still not perfect! A down grade to a good quality fully adjustable bed in Aged Care and still not right. Adjustable at the head end and foot did not make it right. The preference is a high end electric multi function recliner lifting chair. Customised cushions and extra pillows essential.

My choice being a preferred side sleeper. Any elevated bed is torture and I snore terribly on my back, even when elevated! Ask the staff from my last overnight hospital stay.

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Thank you so much! Amazingly thorough info with things I’d not considered.

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Thank you for your input. I like to sleep on my side too & it wasn’t something I even considered might be an issue in these beds but it makes sense it does!

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Hi choice community - I love to buy an adjustable bed and given the increasing popularity I had hoped to find a review on choice. If you got any advice and/or recommendations, I would be grateful if you could let me know. Thank you!

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Welcome to the Community @Petra3

I merged your post into this existing one that might be helpful.

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Thanks for the comprehensive list of questions to ask and things to consider. We’ve just started looking, so this is a very helpful start

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Any advice on ‘the good the bad and the ugly’ of electric adjustable beds please

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Some further information concerning who the bed is intended for and their needs might help others to respond?

Is the bed for a single or double occupancy?
Is the user mobile or some one with limited mobility?

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Sorry about that. I have browsed so much about adjustable beds in the last few days.
I would like the bed to be a split queen bed because huz and I have different problems. He dislocated his knee early 2021 and he still suffers with that.
I have long standing back problems due to multiple spinal fusions and now ankylosing spondylitis is gradually fusing my vertebrae solid. I also suffer with lymphoedema and sciatica on both legs so I find a ‘normal’ flat bed and mattress
is almost impossible to get into without the help of a slide sheet.
Sleeping usually eludes me so I go sleep for a few hours in my electric recliner.

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Our mum in aged care has not been comfortable in a bed. 90’s with severe curvature of the spine and neck with limited mobility. After a number of stays in hospital, rehab and now in aged care, no one has been able to find a set of positions that keep her happy.

She has found a medical grade fully adjustable electric recliner plus numerous pillows works best. An added benefit of the chair is a lift to stand up mode.
You may find the following topic informative.

We looked to our local area (50km radius) and located several competing businesses specialising in mobility and medical care equipment. These included chairs and beds. I think one of the concerns for our mum is once tucked up in bed she has insufficient strength to get out of bed unaided. Hence the chair is more reassuring.

We’ve noted double or larger beds with independent systems. Effectively 2 singles joined at the frame only. Since each half can move independently the mattresses and coverings need to be seperate.

The only small wisdom is to ensure what ever you choose, ensure it has a battery backup for when the power goes out, if personal mobility is likely a concern.

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You will notice I have moved your question to an existing thread. If you look back through the posts, you should be able to find a lot of useful information. In particular, have a read of my earlier post: Adjustable beds - #8 by meltam.

We have two separate XL single beds pushed together to make a king single. The downside is that it is very hard to by bed linen in that size. The upside is that the beds are the same length as a queen, but each of us has a bit more space, and we can move one bed at a time on those occasions we need to clean where the beds are located. Also another big plus is if anything ever goes wrong with a bed, the other bed is still fully functional.

If you get a queen frame with two single mattresses it will be much harder to move the bed, and if anything goes wrong, the whole bed is out of commission. On the plus side, bed linen will be easier to find.

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Continuing the discussion from About the Request a Test category:

Whilst waiting for choice tested reviews.
Can anyone recommend a Mattress for adjustable bed queen size, under $3500 ish ( as will wait to half price) I run hot in Qld , single, side sleeper. With a staffy that sleeps at the bottom.

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Im.purchasing the Sealy inspire adjustable bed and wanting to know best mattress to get. Sales people and searches say different things. Cant see choice has reviewed them yet.
I want queen size, im a side sleeper so medium soft and I run hot in Queensland. Its Just for me and my staffy dog… I Want to keep mattress under $3,500 as will wait for half price specials. The base is $1,400.
If i can get a mattress around $1500 or lower ill be happy as dont plan on keeping same mattress forever.
Hybrid seems the way to go but happy to hear experiences.

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I don’t have one of these, but I have been considering it… I have their original 10" mattress and love it, even though it gets hot.

There’s a 50% off at the moment… so the hybrid is $1099. You get a 125 night trial so if you hate it, you can have it removed. You also get a 15 year warranty for sagging by which time you should likely be considering a new one anyway.

No Choice hasn’t done a review on adjustable beds unfortunately.

When we bought our beds we tried lots of different mattresses and lay on each one for a while to see how they felt. I like a very firm mattress, while my wife likes very soft, so we each had to keep trying until we could find what suited each of us.

I suggest you do the same, and go and try out lots of adjustable bed mattresses until you find the one that feels just right. Don’t be rushed off a mattress that feels like it may work, and try different sleeping positions, not just your preferred one. Remember that they often become softer with use.

Also, ask about returning the mattress if it doesn’t suit you at home. You may have to pay some amount to do a change over, but it’s better than being stuck with a mattress you are uncomfortable on.

i am new to Choice but am wondering if Choice has done an article on electric beds? Already I have a hospital grade (dismantled) electric bed that I purchased for my late mother after her Doctor suggested it would help with her care at home. but it looks very “hospital”. now i find there are many electric beds that do not look hospital but do allow the bed to be adjusted in various ways. I am NOT seeking another “hospital level” electric bed but instead one that would fit into a normal bedroom - be able to be adjusted up and down in various ways but look like a normal bed. Some of the brands will not quote a price initially. And there are now so many to choose from.

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Welcome to the community, @Suzie123
Choice has reviewed and offered advice on ‘Adjustable Beds’ including electric.

The article is from the main Choice website. It’s possible to search both the main Choice website and the Choice Community website using the search options (magnifier icon/symbol) in the page headers.

EG

A general tip, it may prove useful to try different search phrases to find how others describe a product category or need. On the Choice it’s adjustable beds appears to be commonly used to cover both powered and non powered versions.

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