According to the National Council on Aging, one in three people who live at home over the age of 65 suffers a fall each year, and this number increases to one in two by the age of 80.  Fall-related injuries are often serious enough to result in hospitalization and even premature death; moreover, those who fall often face significant declines in mobility and independence.

See also: Boomers and Chronic Illness: Planning for Senior Living

Falls are often due to hazards that are easy to overlook but are easy to fix. This checklist will help you find and fix those hazards in your bedroom.

Bedroom Safety Tips

1. Avoid bedspreads, bed linens and draperies that reach the floor in order to keep feet from getting tangled.  Before getting out of bed look at the floor and make sure pillows or blankets have not fallen down onto your walking path.
2. Nightstands should be sturdy and able to support your weight should you need assistance with standing and balance.
3. Make sure the bed is the appropriate height. Beds that are too high or too low can cause you to fall. The Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund recommends beds should be 20 to 23 inches high from the floor to the top of the mattress.
4. Before getting out of bed, sit on the edge of the bed with both feet flat on the floor.  Take a minute to make sure you’re not experiencing any dizziness and your balance is good before standing.
5. Wear supportive slippers that have non-skid or rubber soles whenever you are walking.
6. Remove carpet or use carpet tape to secure the edges of carpet and area rugs to prevent rugs from slipping, buckling or turning up in the corners.
7. Check to make sure all electrical cords are safely tucked behind furniture to prevent tripping.
8. Place a sturdy chair in the bedroom to sit on while getting dressed.
9. Make sure lamps are easily accessible so you don’t need to walk around the room in the dark.
10. Place a nightlight in the bedroom and bathroom to illuminate the walking path and avoid trips or bumps in the dark.
11. Keep pets out of the bedroom to make sure they don’t get underfoot and cause a fall.
12. Keep clutter in the bedroom to a minimum and never leave laundry baskets, shopping bags or boxes on the floor in your walking path.

Adjustable beds are beneficial for long-term health and wellness.

Adjustable beds can be a welcome addition to any bedroom but may be particularly helpful for seniors. The ability to raise and lower the head makes it easier for some people to get in and out of bed.  Easy Rest adjustable beds can be installed at a variety of heights for individual safety and side rails can be attached if needed.

See also: Sleep Medications Linked With Car Accidents In Older Drivers

Our beds are made for use in the home and when placed in the flat position they look like any traditional bed.  The users current head or footboard can be attached to the base allowing for a seamless transition with the owners current furnishings. Our adjustable mattresses are made to the exacting standards of today’s consumers and compare to all of the top brands on the market today.

To learn more about the many benefits of adjustable beds, or to download our catalog, simply fill out the form to the right.

According to a new study, drivers over age 80 or women over age 70 who take the prescription sleeping pill Ambien tend to have more motor vehicle collisions. Studies in younger drivers have also shown a link between Ambien, known generically as zolpidem, and motor vehicle collisions, said lead author John N. Booth III, of the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

See also: Boomers and Chronic Illness: Planning for Senior Living

The new data, however, extend the findings to show that “older adults, specifically women older than 80 years, have significantly higher odds of motor vehicle collisions while talking zolpidem,” Booth told Reuters Health by email.
The researchers used information from a study of 2,000 current drivers age 70 or older living in Alabama.

The drivers reported their gender, race, marital status, retirement status, current occupation or occupation prior to retirement, alcohol and tobacco intake and chronic medical conditions via questionnaires. They also completed a driving habits questionnaire and brought any prescription or over-the-counter medications to a clinical visit so researchers could review the pill bottles.

About 4 percent of participants were using zolpidem. These individuals tended to have more chronic health conditions, more falls over the previous year, to be taking more medications, and to drive fewer miles annually than the rest of the group.

Using accident police reports from the previous five years, the researchers found that specifically among women, crashes were 61 percent more likely for zolpidem users. And among drivers over age 80, those using zolpidem were more than twice as likely to have been in a car accident in the last five years, the authors reported in Sleep Medicine. When men and women take the same dose of zolpidem, the women tend to have higher concentrations of the drug in their plasma, which may help explain the results, Booth said.

Other sedative hypnotic medications such as trazodone (Oleptro) and temazepam (Restoril) have also been associated with higher car accident risk, Booth said.

It’s no secret that people report more sleep issues and sleep problems as they age. Medical problems, medications, aches and pains and the aging process in general can create barriers to getting a good night’s sleep for many people.

According to a study titled “Sleep Problems in the Elderly” published in the American Family Physician Journal, problems with sleep organization in elderly patients typically include difficulty falling asleep, less time spent in the deeper stages of sleep, early-morning awakening and less total sleep time. Poor sleep habits such as irregular sleep-wake times and daytime napping may contribute to these sleep issues.

It’s no wonder so many American’s are turning to sleep medications to help them fall, and stay asleep. But what if there was an alternative to medication that might help, with none of the harmful or annoying side effects?

An adjustable bed may just be the best bed for seniors due to its ability to adjust to the perfect position for each individual user. Countless reviews of Easy Rest adjustable beds on the review site consumeraffairs.com show that a majority of users have found increased quantity and quality of sleep in addition to a positive overall improvement of their daytime waking hours. Additionally, many have found temporary relief from a variety of ailments by being able to adjust the head or foot portion of the bed.

See also: Five Natural Arthritis Pain Relief Techniques

An Easy Rest adjustable bed may provide temporary relief of: low back pain; minor aches and pains due to muscular fatigue or overexertion; edema or swelling of the legs; poor local blood circulation of the legs; symptoms of hiatal hernia, gastric reflux or nighttime heartburn. The optional heating accessory may provide temporary relief from mild arthritis and joint pain as well as muscle pain associated with stress and tension. Additionally, sleeping in an upright position may reduce or ease light and occasional snoring.

Many users, especially seniors, find it very helpful to be able to change the position of the bed with the simple push of a button to take pressure off of aching or painful areas allowing them to fall back to sleep quickly and easily. If you would like more information on how an adjustable bed might be the right bed for you, simply click on the “Request Information” button on the upper left corner of this page to download your free catalog.

The U.S. population is aging and older Americans are living longer.  However, the growing rates of chronic diseases in the boomer generation points to an emerging health care crisis, says a recent report that analyzes seniors’ health status in the United States.

See also: Easy Rest Adjustable Bed – Best Bed For Seniors

Just two years ago, the first Baby Boomers turned 65, setting into motion a “tremendous demographic shift in the U.S. population,” said physician Rhonda Randall in an interview with USA Today.  Randall is a senior adviser to the not-for-profit United Health Foundation, which recently released America’s Health Rankings Senior Report for 2013.

The report focused on 34 measures of senior health, including physical inactivity, weight, self-reported health status, poverty, drug coverage, hospital re-admission rates and flu vaccinations. The data analyzed is from more than a dozen government agencies and private research groups.

As people move into retirement, they become greater consumers of health care, Randall said. But those turning 65 today “are more likely to live longer than their parents and grandparents, and much more likely to live sicker for a longer period of time,” she said.

According to the report:

• 1 in 8 Americans (13% or 40.3 million) are 65 or older, and that is projected to grow to 1 in 5 (19.3%, or 72.1) in 2030, the year all members of the Baby Boomer generation will have turned 65, according to Census data. By 2050, seniors will make up 25% of the population. Those 85 and older are projected to increase from 5.8 million in 2010 to 8.7 million in 2030.

• Nearly 8 in 10 seniors are living with at least one chronic health condition; 50% have two or more, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates.

Planning ahead for future needs can bring piece of mind.

While you can’t control the future you can control how you plan for what may come. And, you may find that being prepared for a variety of outcomes allows you to feel more confident about how you’ll be able to handle a medical crisis or chronic illness.

Whether you plan to stay in your current home, or move to a one-level living environment, you should focus on how you’ll prepare your bedroom for the future.  An adjustable bed offers an array of health and comfort benefits and should be your first consideration when preparing your bedroom for the future.

See also: 12 Bedroom Safety Tips For Seniors

Every day doctors recommend patients sleep with their head or legs elevated for a variety of medical conditions.  You may already have mild issues that can be helped by sleeping in an adjustable bed.  Recuperating from unexpected surgeries or hospitalizations and getting proper rest when living with chronic conditions may be much easier to achieve when you can adjust the head and foot of your bed to find positional comfort.  As an added bonus, reading, watching TV or working on a laptop are all much easier and more enjoyable in an adjustable bed.

To learn more about our line of adjustable beds simply fill out this form on the right to download our free catalog.

See also: Boomers and Chronic Illness: Planning for Senior Living

According to both Doctors, arthritis patients should look into these top, research-proven relievers, many of which haven’t gotten the attention they deserve:

Pain-relieving gels and creams.

Over-the-counter ointments containing capsaicin — an extract of red chili peppers — can reduce pain by 40 percent if used daily for at least a month.

Stretching and exercise.

Stretching increases blood flow to the joints. Warm-water aerobics, a stroll around the block or pedaling an exercise bike can improve ease of motion, and build muscles to take pressure off troubled joints. Only 20% of people with arthritis take advantage of this natural and free pain-relief prescription.

A little weight loss.

Every pound you lose takes four pounds of pressure off your aching joints. If you are overweight, losing 10 pounds reduces compression on each knee by a total of 48,000 pounds for every mile you walk. That adds up to a lot of relief.

See also: Easy Rest Adjustable Bed – Best Bed For Seniors

A colorful diet.

Foods that ease inflammation can help joint-pain relief, so they recommend loading up on a colorful array of vegetables and fruits, such as strawberries, leafy greens, carrots, blueberries and cherries. Choose fatty fish like omega-3 DHA-loaded salmon and trout.  Drizzle salads with olive oil, add some omega-3 rich walnuts, and wash it all down with green tea.  Some foods actually ramp up inflammation.  You should avoid refined grains as well as sunflower and soybean oils to avoid omega-6 fatty acids.

An easy natural remedy that this article overlooked is one that has been recommended by Doctors for years; Heat Therapy.

Heat things up.

According to WebMD, heat therapy helps reduce inflammation and ease the pain and stiffness that comes with arthritis. Heat dilates the blood vessels, stimulates blood circulation, and reduces muscle spasms. In addition, heat alters the sensation of pain. You can use either dry heat — such as heating pads or heat lamps — or moist heat — such as warm baths or heated wash cloths.

An Easy Rest Adjustable Bed with the optional heating accessory may provide temporary relief from mild arthritis and join pain as well as muscle pain associated with stress and tension.  An Easy Rest adjustable bed also provides the added benefit of positional comfort allowing you to find the perfect position to help take pressure off of sore joints helping you maximize the amount of time you spend asleep.