Bed Rails for Seniors

Adult bedrails allow older adults and people with limited physical abilities to have a safer and more mobile sleep experience in their own homes, nursing homes, and assisted living or residential care facilities.

You can buy portable bedrails without a health care provider’s recommendation. They are available from stores or online shopping sites. But hospital bedrails are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and require a doctor’s prescription for a hospital bed.

There is no standard definition for bedrails, according to the FDA. There are several designs and names for the devices.

Before buying a bedrail, you should consider the right bedrail type and whether it is appropriate for the person who will be using the bedrail. Consider whether the bedrail addresses your or your loved one’s comfort, medical needs and freedom of movement.

Also make sure they are properly installed, and the person using them knows how to do so safely.

Properly used, bedrails can provide safety, security, mobility and a sense of independence for the person using them.

Bedrails for adults should never be used as a restraint, according to the FDA. Their purpose is to promote mobility for people needing help repositioning themselves in a bed or to help them get in and out of bed. Using a bedrail to restrict someone’s movement can result in serious injury.

Bedrails are typically not appropriate for people with certain physical limitations or altered mental conditions, such as delirium, dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

Choosing the best bedrails for seniors requires understanding the exact needs and abilities of the person who will be using them. Bedrails can improve the quality of life for people who can use them safely.

Bedrails typically cost between $50 to $150 depending on the type and the features that the rails include.

There are three distinct types of bedrails according to the FDA — hospital bedrails, portable bedrails for adults and portable bedrails for children.

Depending on the type, bedrails offer a wide variety of features that can better address your particular needs — whether it’s helping to prevent falls, making it easier to get in and out of bed, or personal convenience.

You should also consider the length and weight of bedrails when choosing the type that’s right for you.

The length ranges from 18 inches to as long as 4 feet while the weight ranges from as little as 2 pounds to more than 10 pounds.

Bedrails are not a good choice for someone who can’t physically use the rails or doesn’t understand how to use them. It’s possible to become entangled, entrapped or injured in a bedrail if it is misused.

Some people may be at higher risk of entrapment, falls and other injuries from bedrails — particularly portable bedrails — according to the FDA. Alternatives to bedrails should be considered for people with certain health conditions.

There are alternatives to portable bedrails you can use if you or a loved one has any of these conditions.

Using a combination of these alternatives can further reduce the risk of injury and entrapment.

Bedrails and their alternatives should never be used as a substitute for proper monitoring. Keeping a close watch on a patient requiring a hospital bed or bedrails is essential — especially for people at a higher risk of falls or entrapment in bedrails.

Bedrails for older adults come with several advantages and disadvantages. It’s important to weigh the pros and cons of bedrails when deciding if they are right for you or your loved one.

Typically, portable bedrails are not covered by Medicare. But Medicare may cover most of the cost of hospital bedrails — if your doctor prescribes a hospital bed as medically necessary.

You have to have a severe medical condition to qualify for a hospital bed — such as severe arthritis, paralysis, stroke, spinal cord injuries, serious cardiovascular conditions or injuries to your lower extremities.

Medicare considers bedrails as part of a hospital bed to be durable medical equipment (DME). You have to meet Medicare’s requirements for DME coverage, and your doctor and the bed supplier must both be enrolled in Medicare.

You may be required to rent or buy the bedrails to have Medicare cover them. You are responsible for your Medicare Part B deductible and 20% of the cost to rent or buy the equipment. Medicare will then pay the other 80%.