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Your Guide to Nursing Home Abuse & Prevention

Millions of elderly adults live in nursing home facilities.
Every one of them deserves to feel safe, protected, and respected.

What Is a Scoop Mattress?

According to reports by Naplab, roughly 16.8 million new mattresses are sold in the United States each year, leading to $18.9 billion in mattress sales in 2023 alone.  Of these modern bedding options, the scoop mattress has gained quite a bit it attention for its unique design and reported benefits.

The National Library of Medicine states that the right mattress can promote comfort, decrease pain, encourage proper spinal alignment, and improve the quality of sleep. Below, we’ll explore what scoop mattresses are, how they’re different from traditional mattresses, the potential advantages of scoop mattresses, and some considerations if you’re thinking of buying one.

How Scoop Mattresses Work

The key principle behind the design of the scoop mattress is its ergonomic design.

Because it conforms to the contours of the sleeper’s body, it can distribute their weight more evenly, creating less of the pressure points that cause discomfort and disrupt sleep. This contouring effect is largely due to special materials like memory foam or latex, which respond to body heat and pressure to mold to the sleeper’s shape.

Scoop mattresses have become increasingly popular in nursing homes because they have the unique ability to address some of the specific sleep needs of elderly and bedridden residents. These mattresses provide several advantages that make them an ideal choice for ensuring comfort, safety, and health in a long-term care environment.

Here are a few reasons why scoop mattresses are becoming a go-to option in nursing homes:

Enhanced Comfort and Pressure Relief

One of the main reasons that nursing homes are switching to scoop mattresses is that they provide exceptional comfort and pressure relief. Many nursing home residents are at high risk of developing pressure ulcers (bedsores) from spending extended periods of time lying in bed.

These sores are extremely painful and happen when constant pressure restricts the flow of blood to certain areas of the skin, especially over bony spots like hips, shoulders, and the heels of the feet.

Scoop mattresses contour to the resident’s body, distributing weight more evenly, which minimizes these pressure spots and reduces the risk of developing pressure ulcers, which can lead to serious infections, amputations, and even death.

Obviously, with such serious ramifications, this can be a critical factor in improving the quality of life for residents who have limited mobility.

Improved Safety and Fall Prevention

Nursing home residents often have a higher risk of falling, especially when getting into or out of bed.

Because the sides of a scoop mattress are higher than the center of the mattress and are made of soft material, they reduce the risk of injury from rolling out of bed, which reduces the likelihood of falls, fractures, and other injuries.

Scoop mattresses offer a safer environment by gently “scooping” or cradling the resident into the center of the mattress. This shape also provides additional stability, as well, making it easier for caregivers to reposition or move residents who have limited mobility.

Better Support for Chronic Conditions

Many nursing home residents suffer from chronic health conditions like arthritis, osteoporosis, or back pain, all of which can make finding a comfortable sleeping position more challenging.

Because scoop mattresses offer tailored, contouring support, they help to maintain proper spinal alignment and reduce pressure on the body’s joints. This customized support can often help alleviate or lessen pain and discomfort so that residents can experience better and more restful sleep.

This ability to conform to the body is also beneficial for residents who suffer from conditions like scoliosis or other musculoskeletal disorders, by giving them the necessary support for their specific body shape and allowing them to feel more comfortable in bed.

Easy Transfering and Repositioning

The Journal of American Medicine reports that about half of nursing home residents suffer a fall at least once a year, of these 75% occurred in the residents’ rooms, and transfers were responsible for 41% of those falls.

In nursing homes and other elder care settings, caregivers often need to reposition residents or move them multiple times each day to prevent bedsores, assist with daily activities, or perform routine care.

Because the design of the scoop mattress makes it easier to reposition residents, it not only keeps them safer from falling, but results in less unnecessary strain on them or caregivers. This natural stability means that it’s less likely that a resident will slide or shift during movements.

Wound Care and Healing

For residents who suffer from existing pressure ulcers or wounds, scoop mattresses can play a crucial role in encouraging the healing process. As the mattress reduces pressure on affected areas and promotes better blood circulation, it can aid in more rapid wound healing, as well.

Their ability to lessen friction and shear forces also helps minimize the risk of further skin damage, which is particularly important for elderly individuals with fragile skin, and who are more prone to infections.

Choosing the Right Scoop Mattress

While scoop mattresses can be a great long-term health choice and offer promising benefits, there are still some factors that should be considered before purchasing one:

  • Cost: Scoop mattresses tend to be slightly more expensive than traditional mattresses due to their specialized design and materials. Buyers should weigh the cost against the potential benefits and durability. The cost of a scoop mattress varies, but a twin mattress with an average build will typically run around $300, while a medium-range twin mattress can be closer to $600.
  • Adjustment Period: Some people will need an adjustment period to get used to the unique feel of a scoop mattress, particularly if they’re used to a traditional flat mattress.
  • Maintenance: Depending on the materials used, scoop mattresses may have specific care instructions to help maintain their shape and performance over time.

Scoop mattresses represent the latest in contemporary approaches to greater sleep comfort and better support due to their ergonomic design and contouring capabilities, as well as benefits like improved spinal alignment, pressure relief, and customized comfort.

By understanding what scoop mattresses are and how they work, individuals and care facilities can make informed decisions. Ones that can potentially improve their resident’s sleep quality and overall health and well-being.

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This website was created and is maintained by the legal team at Thomas Law Offices. Our attorneys are experienced in a wide variety of nursing home abuse and neglect cases and represent clients on a nationwide level. Call us or fill out the form to the right to tell us about your potential case. We will get back to you as quickly as possible.

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