Hinged Bed-Rail

The referral for this project came from an occupational therapist.
The client has frequent night-time seizures which often lead to him falling from his bed and injuring himself.
He also frequently needs to go to the toilet in the night and so easy access to/from the bed is essential.
The hinged bed-rail was devised as the solution to these challenges.

The Challenge

The client has violent night-time seizures and this can result in him falling from his bed and sustaining injuries.
The client also frequently needs to go to the toilet in the night and so easy access to/from the bed is essential.
Commercial solutions are insufficiently robust and those which are long enough to protect him from falls during seizures restrict easy bed access for his frequent night-time visits to the toilet.
The bed-rail features padding to prevent injury to the client and there is a warning sign for carers to always replace the 4 bed-rail holding knobs whenever the bed rail is removed to avoid possible leg injury from the threaded holding studs.

A substantial bed-rail was made from welded 25x25x2 mm mild steel hollow section which hinges in the middle like a gate to allow easy bed access. All steel components are powder-coated white.
The opening section is locked in the closed position by means of two struts, each containing an over-centre knee which operates much the same as the locking mechanism on some aircraft undercarriages. Each knee is held in the locked postion by a magnetic catch.
A plastic yellow handle on top of the bed-rail rotates the locking mechanism from closed to open and in so doing opens the hinged section.
Each half of the bed-rail is fitted with a tie-on padded cushion.
The bed-rail assembly is mounted on a substantial plywood vertical platform screwed firmly to the side of the bed frame. Four M8 coach bolts attach the bed-rail to this platform and the bed-rail is held in place by 4 large plastic knobs enabling it to be removed from the bed.
Both the client and occupational therapist are pleased with the solution.

The bed-rail protects the client from injury whenever he has a seizure in the night.
It provides easy access to/from the bed for nightime toilet visits.
The client can now sleep better without his previous concerns.