Product recommendation needed for comfortable, waterproof bed topper. Any suggestions?

The first step is to get him into an incontinence product that has more capacity. Abena Abri-Flex has about triple the capacity of Depends (at double the cost). Or you can add a booster pad (not a liner) to his current product.

Next get a waterproof mattress cover that is waterproof on at least 5 sides (6 is better). I like the ones with terry cloth, and no padding.

smile.amazon.com/Twin-Extra-SureGuard-Mattress-Protector

Make the bed in this order: Put your memory foam ;-) or egg crate on top of the mattress; then the waterproof mattress protector; then a 30" x 40" (approx) quilted pad with a waterproof backing; then a fitted sheet; then another 30" x 40" quilted pad; then another fitted sheet.

It seems like a lot, but if the bed gets wet during the night, you only have to remove the sheet and quilted pad, and the bed is ready to sleep in again. 95% of the time, I never have to remove anything except the sheet and the quilted pad.

Good luck,
Jamie

I would suggest you invest in an alternating pressure mattress pad. It is water proof, and prevents bed sores.

I'm also searching for something like that for my LO. She's losing her mobility and I want to safeguard her skin before it becomes a problem. It's really confusing and difficult to find. I'll try the suggestions. Is this better than a hospital bed? They don't seem very comfortable to me.

We have 2 of the pads we bought of Amazon. One is on mom's hospital bed, the other I put on her recliner in the livingroom. My mom is stage 7 Alzheimer's and hasn't been able to walk for about 3 years. It actually is pretty comfortable. I have been able to keep her skin in great condition... This being one of the ways.

Sunnygirl,
The alternating pressure mattress is available to put on a hospital bed frame or on other frames. They can be rented. If you're on hospice, they will be supplied. Sometimes the VA will supply.

Thanks for the tips. I'm not sure what to do right now. MC asst. director, Dr. and I met about her decline last week and are meeting again next week to see if Hospice eval is called for. He discontinued some meds to see if that was the cause, but she's still not able to sit up well and she's not using her legs or feet like she used to. If she goes on Hospice, they will provide the bed, but, if not.....I'll have to get her something better until that happens, even if I have to pay out of pocket. So, I may just wait and see how we are proceeding next week.

I have seen other residents there in hospital beds and they just didn't look comfortable to me. I have only slept in a hospital bed one time and it was horrible. I'm not sure how I feel about it.  Can you request an upscale model?  lol 

These work very well over whatever mattress/topper. These saved me a lot of time and energy from always cleaning up after leaks from my incontinent mother who suffered from Dementia. amazon.com/Priva-Waterproof-Protector-Absorbency-Guarantee

I would suggest getting a Gel type mattress pad. They can be rented or purchased. My wife has been completely bedridden for one year and has had one the entire time. In that time we have had no problems of any kind and she is comfortable with no bed sores, etc. She is also in a hospital bed.

@Sandwichedat40: I can almost bet that a soiled mattress pad or cover will not make it back onto your Dad's bed. I had several blankets that I brought to the Nursing Home when my husband was in re-hab and they all disappeared.
A waterproof cover that could be wiped down would be possible, if you think that the staff would clean and sanitize it each time.
I would ask about the alternating pressure mattress. The cover can be wiped down but due to the air flow you can not put another cover on it.
Mattresses can be rented most of the time they are paid for by Medicare and they can be changed out so if one becomes soiled it can be replaced quickly, usually within 24 hours. When my Husband was on Hospice we first got an alternating pressure mattress then another type that had air chambers that would fill and deflate if that is how you set it or they would remain static. (a bit loud but never had pressure sores so it was worth it!)

As jjariz mentioned look at taking care of the incontinence issue. Comdom catheter would allow the urine to be captured. They may be difficult at first to get them to stay attached, but with my FIL we learned omniflex tape or a similar tape work wonderfully staying adhered to the condom and the skin, without causing irritation with daily changes.

I'm using 3" Egg Crate Mattress Topper Simmons Beautyrest BigSleep Convoluted Foam from Walmart and I use a Pellon Mattress Protector which is waterproof over top of the "egg crate"

So far it is working for me. The Pellon I have is discontinued (no idea why) and is also a cooling protector which is what made me purchase it.

Good Luck honey.

We have this problem with my mom, though she is home and not in a facility but a memory foam topper makes all the difference in both comfort and I imagine pressure points/sores for those who are more bedridden. They are available all over, Amazon, Overstock, Craigs List (especially when college is moving in and out if your in or near a college, though probably not as prevalent now between fall and spring semesters...my bad, sorry), Walmart to name a few. They now make covers for them and or mattresses that are waterproof and soft, comfotable not the stiff noisy rubber or plastic waterproof always used to mean. However the ones I'm thinking of and the one we have aren't easily wiped down with disinfectant they zip off easily and are thrown in the wash which may not be ideal for your situation. I do believe they make the type that can be wiped down as well in a softer more pliable version but probably not quite as nice as the ones that are waterproof on the inside and terrycloth or something else on the outside.

We get away with using one of these because we use a system of making the bed more like the one jjarz describes. She has the waterproof but cloth on the outside type cover on the mattress and topper (again you could use a separate one on the topper to make changing easier) and then a quilted pee protector pad, the bottom sheet and top sheet and comforter. The quilted protector pads are made for absorbing urine and protecting the mattress, they use them in the hospital all the time. In fact they used to put one down on the chair as well when she was there and that's where we got the idea to use them at home. I like the idea of doubling the pad and fitted sheet so you can just pull off the top one and have afresh one, not needing to make the bed each time is genius!

The way we have it set up is that we have 3 full sets of supplies (not the mattress pad/case), waterproof pad, bottom and top sheet folded together as a package so one can be in the laundry, one on the bed and one in the closet ready to go. We also have 2 of the waterproof mattress cover/pads and 2 comforters in case they get wet or soiled so the bed can always be made. We have found though that the mattress cover is protected enough using the quilted pads and doesn't get soiled so we really haven't needed that second cover. We have had to wash the comforter because it got soiled but not the mattress cover. Go figure! Now, full disclosure her incontinence undergarment set up is a very important part of this set up as well. We have found that she likes the Depends over everything else and they work so it's easier to stick with them both day and night rather than try and use different brands day and night (it's too complicated for her too). We tried using the nighttime Depends as well but she would get them mixed up and forget to use the nighttime at night which often meant leaks and wasting the more expensive Nighttime Panties, instead she uses a pad inside the panty at night and it seems to work just fine. She still wets the bedding at times, often if she isn't following the evening routine well which happens frequently but what can you do and it's really not a big deal she is able to take care of it herself now most of the time anyway, just take off the fitted sheet and pad, throw in the washer and put the clean one from the closet on. We have a couple of extra waterproof quilted pads too for putting on top of the fitted sheet when she's spending more time in bed than usual or putting on the couch when she's not feeling well and parks there for the day, that sort of thing and when she travels. Poor mom has suffered with this for years, well before her stroke and just doesn't have any sensation when she has to go a lot of the time and now that she so often forgets to get up and use the bathroom every hour or 2 now there really isn't any other way.

The Depends and pads do get expensive of course but I have her set up on automatic delivery through Amazon Prime which has the best price I have found on the Depends (in large or bulk packages) except when Costco (also a very good price) has a coupon on them, that can be a better deal so I keep n eye out and check prices again when that happens and stock up at Costco if that's the better deal, I can hold the Amazon deliveries whenever I want to and start them back up when I'm ready again. I do the same with the pads but we don't need those as often. Sorry I went into much more detail than necessary I think but I've been typing this for a few hours now, getting pulled away to do something else often in-between so I kept loosing track. Good luck, whether you decide it's time for Hospice to take over and they take care of the mattress or you do it I think you will find there are many easier options now for making a regular or hospital bed comfortable than there used to be. Good options for keeping them dry without giving up comfort as well.

No, sorry never heard of memory foam or egg crate being waterproof. However, if you couldn't get a hold of one of those reusable re-washable underpads, that would be your better bet. Perhaps if you know someone who has an extra one or even if you know a funeral director who picked up someone who also happen to have picked up a clean bed pad, perhaps you can try talking to them and see if you can either buy it from them or they may just give it to you if it's clean. Morticians may pick up linens at times and you never know whatever happens to them or if they send them back to the hospitals or what have you. I know of an ambulance service that often gave the linens off the stretcher to the patients if they wanted to keep them. If they didn't want them then that medics had to toss them. I actually benefited from them because I got to keep some of the linens that came home with my elderly friend on more than one occasion, he had a closet full of them! You never know when someone may actually come home with a bed pad, sheets, blankets and even good pillows. I would check to see if some of your elderly friends happen to have any extra linens in their closets that they may be willing to part with because sometimes you just never know. Sometimes it may not even just be the elderly being carted to and from the hospital but people of other agents who "frequent fly". If you happen to know someone and find out they constantly get hospital linens given to them, you may actually want to see if they have any extras. In fact, a resident at a friend of mine's apartment building was hold off by squad after having a seizure. When he came home in a sheet he actually got rid of it and I brought it home and sent it through the laundry. The hospitals always get new linens because they're always sending patients home with them. As for that hospital mattress you're talking about, it must not be waterproof or it wouldn't be ruined. It may be water resistant but not waterproof. Perhaps they may try investing in better mattresses or provide what patients need instead of families having to do it

I'm learning a lot about these mattresses and covers. I just discovered that my LO's hospital bed came today. I spoke with the director of the MC unit and we will discuss more things she may need next week, after meeting with the doctor again. The physical therapist and speech therapist evaluated her and feel she is not able to benefit from therapy.

I did discover that they are checking her, changing her and moving her every 2 hours during the night, so that makes me feel better. They say her skin is quite well, so, that makes me feel better.

You may want to check the nursing home's rules/protocol.

Hospital beds should be waterproof. I worked for a mattress manufacture and the bed covering is plastic. My daughter just bought a plastic mattress cover you slip the mattress into and zipper up at Walmart. Medical supply places should have something.

You could look for a vinyl pad that fit over a hospital mattress. Some have alternating air to help with with skin integrity. You can search medical supply websites for many options. I would also ask advice from the nursing home.