Bed side rails
A client with Down’s Syndrome and dementia had standard ¾ length bed rails attached to his bed. He has recently started getting up in the night which involves him in scooting down the bed and leaving through the narrow gap at the bottom. He is not able to collapse the rails and leave in the normal way. His carers had two concerns. Firstly that he would injure himself in scooting down the bed and back up, and secondly that the existing rails were not firm enough for him to manoeuvre himself when he returned to the bed.
The existing rails were on loan, so modification was not allowed.
Existing bed rails
The solution
A new set of collapsible half-length rails was constructed using aluminium box section with a spring loaded plunger catch fitted to the bed head rather than at the bottom as was the case with the original rails. This resulted in the top “grab” rail being much firmer than on the original rails, allowing him to reposition himself in bed. To improve handling and cleaning, the rails were clear anodised. The anodising was carried out free of charge to Remap by Duncan-Lynch Precision Tools of Wokingham.
New bed rails folded
The benefit
The client has a much safer arrangement, reducing the need for him to need assistance.
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