DIY mattress help for pressure sore prevention for a wheelchair user

[phoenix]

Hi jmuca.

I’ll have to double check, but I think the firmness was about right, but that it could have been a little more firm, while the vertigo caused by the other all latex mattresses was harder to diagnose

Let us know what find from your family member. I do understand why she would favor a DIY for price considerations and as long as she is aware of the possible downfalls this approach is as good as others.

I actually found a few merchants to also do continuous pour, so that helps nix that variation a bit, but I get what you mean about the different materials used in a build. I know it’s hard to say, but given that the Finch has that top quilted foam layer (which I imagine is more a plush), I was wondering if the medium plush of a 20 ILD comfort layer would be a good approximation to start with. I believe I’ve read that having a 27 ILD layer would actually be quite firm and more suited (generally speaking) for stomach sleepers. Would love your thoughts on this!

Glad to hear that you found continuous pour Dunlop but there are a few kinks in the road. I’ll detail it below. You are correct, the (10") Finch Natural Latex ~ All foam comes has a plush quilted layer. For ease of discussion here is the general built for both comfort options.
• 1.5" Quilted zippered Cover ~ Polyfoam Quilted to Organic Stretch Knit Cotton & Joma Wool with (Eco Flex) / plush feel (only for this layer)
• 3" 100% Natural Dunlop Latex (Continuous Pour) ….27 ILD (M) or 36 ILD (F) target points
• 6" 100% Natural Dunlop Latex Support Layer 36 ILD (F) target point (Continuous Pour)
Comfort Options: Medium & Firm (On NB internal scale) // Other Features: Split dual comfort available, Made to Order

Based on the ILDs that were given the Continuous Pour is sourced from Latexco. You’d need to confirm the source though. Mountain Top is another producer of Continuous pour which has different specs (ILD, density support factor, and durability) this will translate in a different feel for the same thickness and comfort option.

Your last question about “a good approximation to start with” in trying to use the Finch as a baseline is very difficult if not impossible to answer as it depends on so many other personal variables. Your family member selected the medium comfort option for the Finch as detailed above and a “20 ILD 3” Dunlop comfort layer" in combination with 6" 36 ILD NR Dunlop will be softer and won’t mimic the comfort or feel of the Finch.(1.5" plush quilt in combination with 3" of 27 ILD Dunlop on top of the same core. I am still not very clear what your family member is trying to achieve with this…firmer in the comfort more supportive for the alignment. The feel will also be very different.

Ah I should have given a little more context there on my body type. It’s definitely a bit more unusual because of my disability, but I’d say my upper body is quite fit, and where the majority of my weight lies, while my lower body is quite bony, ankles, knees, and hips included, with the latter being one of the major areas of concern for pressure sores. So in a way, I’m more top-heavy, with most of the pressure likely falling around my hips due to it being the midway. The boniness resulting in bottoming out makes sense though!

For this, I would definitely ask your care provider’s help and recommendations. From where I stand (as a nonprofessional in the field) It looks like you could benefit from e softer zoning for the lighter lower part of your body but not so soft as to sink in too much and throw your fitter and heavier upper part out of alignment. Have you considered a zoned comfort layer? Something like the Mountain Top 7 zoning might be helpful. It looks like zones 7 & 6 are denser than zones 1 & 2 shown in the product pdf but I might be wrong. (I’ll ask next week if that’s the case) You may also need to position yourself a little higher or lower from the horizontal center so that the recessed parts of your body have adequate support. I’d definitely run this scenario by a musculoskeletal specialist.

To make a bit more sense of this, do you mean that a build like the 2" 19 ILD talalay > 2" 25-30 talalay > 6" 38-40 ILD dunlop would be a closer equivalent to the Owl?

For reference (12.5") Owl Natural Latex Hybrid Mattress has the following built
• 1" Organic Stretch Knit Cotton and Joma Wool
• 1.5" 1.5lb Eco-Flex Quilting Foam
• 3" Oeko-tex Cert. Continuous Pour Dunlop Latex (Medium 27 ILD/ Firm 36 ILD)
• 1" 1.5LB Eco-Friendly Comfort Foam
• 6" Reinforced Edge Coil Support Pocketed Coils
• Comfort Options - Plush, Medium or Firm.

In very general terms you could say that the build you mention is heading more toward the Owl, but neither is a “closer equivalent” to it. The mattress heights are different and with a 12.5" mattress … the firmness would need to go up (than what you would have for a 10" mattress) on average because thicker mattresses will “act” softer for most people. If you make changes to one of the specs (such as the layer thickness of the top layer(s)) … then you may also need to make other changes to the other layers to compensate. The materials are different and will perform differently.

Likewise, for a bit of clarity here, do you mean that a 2" > 3" > 6" would (possibly) be too thick for support given my BMI, or are you saying that a 2" + 3" would be a maximum I’d likely want to consider? Or, did you mean that I’ll possibly need to figure out how to balance support + pressure relief because my bony hips might go through a 3" comfort, while a 2" + 3" comfort (or even a 2" + 2") might be too thick for support due to my lower BMI?

The weight differential between your upper body and lower body is also an important factor… for all intents and purposes, you may need to get a mid-horizontal split construction for the desired 10 comfort level. You are quite right …part of the challenge you may have is to balance primary support with pressure relief for the different parts of your body (see post #4 for primary support, secondary support, and pressure relief and how they are related[/url])

In your DIY quest, it looks like you have a bit more homework to do and I’d start by diving in a few more readings about the effect of thickness in post #14 here. Zoning is suitable for people that have more difficulty finding a mattress with the right “balance” between comfort/pressure relief and support/alignment or who have more challenging circumstances or sensitivities, body types that are more difficult to “match” to a mattress, more complex medical issues, or who have a history of having more difficulty in finding a mattress that works well for them. There is more about zoning in
this article and in post #11 here and the additional posts it links to but the only way to know whether any specific mattress (zoned or otherwise) will be a good match for you in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP will be based on careful testing or your own personal experience. You may wish to reach out to TMU zoning expert Flowbeds for guidance on their own dedicated forum. FloBeds offers a zoned option in varying firmness levels

Regardless of how thick/thin zoned/nonzoned a mattress may be, the most important part is how suitable the mattress is “as a whole” for your particular body type, medical condition, sleeping positions, and preferences in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences).

Phoenix