5 Best Bed Rails For Elderly
Looking for bed rails for elderly parents or grandparents to keep them safer in their home? In this post, we’ll look at the ones that I think are the best. I’ve helped countless families navigate these waters and seen many different types in action.
Sometimes all the options you come across can be overwhelming. Let’s narrow down the choices. As always, if a medical professional has told you to get a very specific bed rail, be sure to follow that advice, even if it’s on my “bed rails to avoid” list. This is just general information not specific to a certain situation.
*Disclaimer: This is not medical advice. Always follow the recommendations of your medical professionals. This is my opinion based upon using different types of bed rails over the years. *This post contains affiliate links which means I earn a small commission if you make a purchase through these links. Thank you for your support!
How Bed Rails Are Beneficial For Elderly
Do your aging parents or grandparents want to grab your hand for help getting up out of bed? If so, a bed rail located at the top of the bed can be just what they need to help them be more independent by not requiring a person to give them a hand anytime they need to get up.
Also, just having the rail right there at their upper body is sometimes just enough for them to feel and stop them from rolling out of the bed if that is an issue for them.
I usually direct people to get their bed rails from Amazon. Why?
- They are less expensive than a Durable Medical Equipment (or DME) company
- Medicare does NOT cover this expense (although in some states Medicaid might) but if Medicaid does, a lot of DME companies don’t accept Medicaid because reimbursement takes a long time and reimbursement is usually very little. Always check with your local DME company to find out for sure
- Most elderly people have someone in their family that purchases from Amazon or has Amazon prime
- Of course you can search other sites like Walmart as well
- You can look in local pharmacies or a shopping center, but usually they only have one choice if you can find them at all
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How Bed Rails Work
Most bed rails are designed with a large bar that slides beneath the mattress and box springs or mattress and platform.
Ideally, they come with a strap that attaches to that bar under the mattress and runs to the opposite side of the bed around the bed frame.
1. Top Overall Bed Rail
This bed rail for elderly people from Amazon is my favorite and here’s why:
Pros:
- It’s rectangle design allow your elderly loved one to grasp from many angles
- Wider so there is more surface area for them to grasp to pull from
- There are legs that touch the ground making it sturdier
- Adjustable leg height
- Not shown in this picture is the strap that attaches to the bar under the mattress and the bed frame
- No storage bag to get in the way of their grip
- No special tools required to put it together and easy to assemble
- Non-slip handle
Cons:
- No storage bag
- Bed making isn’t as easy
- When installing, will need someone strong enough to get the strap run under the mattress
2. Less Expensive Choice
This option is good if they just need a little help getting in and out of bed.
Pros for this one are:
- Less expensive option
- Has a storage bag
- Strap that attaches to the bar under the mattress and to the bed frame
- Has adjustable legs
- Smaller width
- Pretty sturdy when attached properly
- Non-slip handle
- Easy to install
- Storage bag doesn’t get in the way of hand placement
Cons:
- Rounded top can be more difficult to grasp and get leverage
- Smaller width may not provide enough area if they tend to roll out of bed
- When installing, will need someone strong enough to get the strap run under the mattress
3. Best Choice For Tall Beds
If your senior citizen has a taller bed, the rails with leg even in the longest position may not touch the ground. In this case you would need an option that doesn’t have legs.
Although bed rails for elderly with legs are generally sturdier, sometimes it’s not an option. This choice is a good alternative, but there are some cons.
Pros:
- Strap runs under mattress and attaches to the bed frame
- Width is large
- Good surface area to prevent rolling out of a tall bed
- Large rail to allow for pulling from lying to sitting
- Doesn’t require bed to be a certain height
- Easy to assemble
Cons:
- Doesn’t have non-slip handle
- When the width is large, it requires more scooting to get in and out of bed
- Not as sturdy as ones with legs
4. Great Option For Different Hand Grips
This one is similar to the top overall bed rail. The main difference is the V shape in the middle of the handle. Since this makes the rail at an angle, it is actually an easier grip to get leverage to help pull yourself up from lying.
The reason this is not the top overall rail is that I’ve found people trying to use it to push up from sitting to standing, the angle is not ideal for pushing up.
Pros and cons other than what I just mentioned are the same as the first option.
5. Best Bed Rail For Bariatric Elderly
Does your elderly loved one have a little more to love? Then this bariatric option is great. Although this option doesn’t have the legs, the metal is sturdier to handle more weight.
Pros:
- Made of steel alloy rather than aluminum
- Rail can be removed from the base for easy bed making
- Storage pouch that doesn’t get in the way of hand grip
- Attaches to. the bed frame on the opposite side
- Easy to install without special tools
Cons:
- Doesn’t have legs
- Doesn’t have non-slip handle
- Made of steel, so heavier when trying to install
4 Bed Rails For Elderly To Avoid
While there are many bed rails for elderly to choose from, some are not as good of an option. The main reason to avoid the ones in the following list is that the cons outweigh to pros.
Again, if a medical professional said to specifically get one of these on this list, ALWAYS FOLLOW THEIR ADVICE. They have reasons why one of these are the best option for your unique situation.
1. Best Of The Worst
Why this choice isn’t ideal. Here are the pros and cons to help you decide.
Pros:
- Easy assembly and easy to install because it doesn’t have the strap to attach to the bed frame
- Storage bag doesn’t get in the way of the handle
- Flat steel tubing that goes under the mattress
- Larger surface area that goes under the mattress
- Non-slip handle
- Adjustable height
Cons:
- Doesn’t have strap to attach to the bed frame on the opposite side, so every time they push up on the rail to stand, there is risk of it sliding out from under the mattress and will need to be readjusted often
- The angled design at the top doesn’t allow for ideal hand placement for pushing up from sitting to standing
- Although there aren’t that many “cons,” these are MAJOR cons in my opinion
2. Fine Option EXCEPT For One Feature
This option has a lot of things going for it EXCEPT the handy dandy storage bag gets right in the way of your aging parent to get a full grasp on the handle in two of the most important spots…THE ENDS.
Trust me, almost no one grabs right in the middle of the rail to assist them. If you choose this option, just don’t put the storage bag on it.
Pros:
- Non-slip handle
- Strap attaches to the bed frame
- Has legs for sturdiness
- Storage bag but in this instance is mainly a con
Cons:
- Storage bag covers up almost all of the handle which is the most important part of purchasing bed rails for elderly persons
3. Not A Great Option
What’s wrong with this bed rail? Well, there is no strap to attach it to the bed frame and it’s narrower width going under the mattress makes it easier to shift around so it will need to be readjusted frequently if it doesn’t just slide out some while they use it to stand up. If this happens it can throw off their balance.
Pros:
- Non-slip handle
- Easy to install
- Adjustable height
Cons:
- Narrow width makes it easier to get out of place
- No strap to attach to the bed frame
- Doesn’t have storage bag
- No legs to make it sturdier
4. Not A Great Choice For People Who Transfer Independently
Sooo, this option has a video showing how to use it. The main issue is the storage bag covers most of the handle.
And the length of it means they have to be able to bridge and scoot themselves up and down in the bed. Bridging and scooting are important skills to have. But in my experience a lot of elderly people aren’t able to do this well if at all.
The button they show to extend the bed rail out further to keep someone from rolling out of bed is hard to manage with arthritic fingers.
Who this option is fantastic for is someone who has to have someone else transfer them to bed and the main safety feature they need it for is to keep them from rolling out of the bed.
Why this is a great option for that is that the rail flips down completely and the caregiver can transfer them closer to the head of the bed. Then the caregiver can manage the rail.
Pros:
- Rail extends the length of the bed to prevent rolling out of bed
- Has strap that attaches to the bed frame
- Storage bag
Cons:
- No non-slip handle
- No legs
- Storage bag covers up most of the rail which impedes grasp
- Wide width requires more scooting to get up in the bed and to get out of the bed
Wrapping It Up
I hope this list helps narrow down all the choices you have for bed rails for elderly parents or grandparents. Choose the one that closely fits their needs. Here are all the options:
1. Top Overall Bed Rail
2. Less Expensive Choice
3. Best Choice For Tall Beds
4. Great Option For Different Hand Grips
5. Best Bed Rail For Bariatric Elderly
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