Bed, No Bed

Bad news today. The government agency I work with for essential income and supplies, the Alberta Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped, turned down my request for an adjustable bed. Their recommendation was that I get a standard hospital bed, either from another arm of government known as Alberta Aids to Daily Living, or through the ALS Society.

My challenge is that most hospital beds are 36" wide. That might seem like a lot, yet it is the width of a standard single bed. Even that is an increase from the older standard of 27". How anybody could sleep on a mattress that small is beyond me. In addition, the standard bed is 74" long, meaning for anyone who is 6' tall, there is a mere 2" for wiggle room. That's why my feet were often over the end of the bed when I was in hospital. They make a single XL, also known as a Twin XL, that is 80" long. So you can get long and skinny if you want.

A Double bed, the one favoured by newlyweds, is now referred to as a Full bed. It is 53" wide, yet perversely, only 75" long. Once again, if you are 6' tall or more, your feet dangle and your head bumps. That may not be an issue when you are young and active, but for me that shortness is a real problem. If my feet get over the end of the bed, I'm stuck with that for the night. There is nobody here at home to help adjust me at night.

A Queen sized bed, seemingly a luxury item, it the first bed where the standard length is 80". It is what many of us have at home. It is what I have right now. It is both long enough, and a 53", wide enough for me to fit nicely, allowing me to roll on my side without assistance. That's a big deal to me, but apparently I did not sell that well enough to the AISH upper management.

The truth is that most people in need of this kind of a bed will take a hospital bed; most of them are not limited by the width or length. Nor do they struggle with the limitations of a partial paralysis. When I do finally reach full paralysis, perhaps this won't matter so much to me. Until then, I would like to at least enjoy some degree of comfort in the place where I spend 12 of my 24 hours  each day.

I have access to a used adjustable bed. The seller wants $1,000 but says she is open to offers. The bed, mattress, headboard and sheet sets are a couple of years old. It hasn't been used since last September and is in storage as far as I know. Unfortunately I am not in  position to go check this bed out; I might ask one of my friends to do that for me. Then I can see how low the price will go. One of my friends recently gave me a fairly generous gift. Perhaps this is  the right place to go with it.