Flex-A-Bed 185 Hi-Lo low profile mattress options

I bought this adjustable bed for my elderly mother because it seemed like the only adjustable bed that was height adjustable. She was used to her queen sized platform bed before and wanted the width of a queen sized bed.

She was confined to a hospital bed during an extended stay in the hospital, and I rented a hospital bed when she returned home.

I believe I made a mistake in ordering this bed, because even in the lowest elevation, with the 10 inch combination memory foam on innerspring mattress, it is impossible for her to get on the bed without help. This bed doesn’t get as near to the ground as a standard hospital bed. It was brought to my attention that if the casters are removed, then the bed will be two inches closer to the ground. This still doesn’t solve the issue. The only solution is to get a low profile mattress in the neighborhood of about 6 to 7 inches, which will be low enough to the ground for her to enter her bed independently.

I’m new to this website, so not aware of the many mattress options, so still doing my due diligence about this. My mother is in her high 90’s, and is about 170 pounds, about 5’2". She sleeps sideways much of the time. From what I have been reading, memory foam sleeps hot. I’m looking for as much support as a low profile mattress can give. I’m researching latex, but I’m not averse looking at other options.

I’d appreciate any help with this.

Hi mattress question,

While I can certainly help with “how” to choose … It’s not possible to make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or combinations of materials or components because the first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you (or in this case your mother) are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, or PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either hers or a mattress), sleeping positions, health conditions, or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more reliable than careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or her own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).

I’m not sure what you’ve read since you found the site but just in case you haven’t read it yet … the first place to start your research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice … and perhaps more importantly know how and why to avoid the worst ones.

Two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you’ve read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best “match” for her in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well she will sleep), durability (how long she will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you (including the price of course and the options you have available after a purchase if your choice doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for).

Assuming that the materials in a mattress you are considering are durable enough for your body type and meet the durability guidelines here relative to her weight/BMI range … the choice between different types and combinations of materials and components or different types of mattresses are more of a preference and a budget choice than a “better/worse” choice (see this article). Different people just prefer different types of materials or mattresses but the only way to know which types of materials or mattresses or firmness levels she may tend to prefer in very general terms will be based on her own local testing or her own personal experience.

I would also keep in mind that each mattress category can include hundreds of different mattresses with a very wide range of different designs, different “feels”, different characteristics, and different firmness levels. Individual layers and components in a mattress (including the cover and any quilting material) can vary widely with different thicknesses and different firmnesses and every difference will affect the feel and response of every other layer and component both above and below it and the mattress “as a whole” so each mattress category will generally include some mattresses that have an overall design that will be a good “match” for her in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) and others that use the same type of materials and components and are in the same category and may be just as durable but have a different design or firmness level that may be completely unsuitable for here to sleep on … even if it uses the same general type of materials and components.

If you are considering online options then the mattress shopping tutorial includes several links to lists of many of the better online options I’m aware of (in the optional online step) that include many different types and categories of mattresses (see this article) that use different materials and components in a wide range of designs, budgets, firmness levels, and with different return/exchange policies that may be well worth considering.

If you are interested in local options then if you let me know your city or zip code I’d be happy to let you know about the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in your area.

I don’t keep a record of the individual mattresses or components or their specs (or thickness) that the retailers and manufacturers in the hundreds of local or online forum lists throughout the forum carry on their floor or have available online (it would be a bigger job than anyone could keep up with in a constantly changing market) but checking their websites and especially making some preliminary phone calls to the retailers/manufacturers that are on the lists that you are considering is always a good idea before you decide on which retailers or manufacturers you wish to deal with or visit anyway. This will tell you which of them carry mattresses or components that would meet your specific criteria, are fully transparent about the materials and components and/or the mattresses that they sell, and that carry the type of mattresses or components that you are interested in that are also in the budget range you are comfortable with. Once you have checked their websites and/or talked with the ones that interest you then you will be in a much better position to decide on the ones (if any) that you are most interested in considering or visiting based on the results of your preliminary research and conversations.

While I have no way to know which types of materials or mattresses she may tend to prefer … if you are limited to 6" then it may be worth considering a 6" latex mattress with either a single 6" layer of latex or two 3" layers of latex because latex is a somewhat unique material that is very point elastic and resilient and can contour well to the shape of the body and in the right firmness levels can be soft and pressure relieving and supportive at the same time even with a thinner mattress. Because of the resilience of latex it is also less motion restricting than other slower responding materials such as memory foam which can make it easier to more or change positions on a mattress than less resilient materials which may be important to elderly people but of course not all people like the “feel” and response and resilience (springiness) of latex.

Phoenix

Dear Phoenix

Thank you so much for your detailed answer. I was reading your article about proper ventilation for latex mattresses. As I mentioned before, I have the Flex-A-Bed Hi Lo. The foundation is about 3"“. I was considering latex in a 6"” configuration from this site: https://www.sleepez.com.with the natural wool layer, for a total of 7"". Remembering that every inch counts for this bed height, and with the casters removed, hopefully the bed will be low enough for my mother so she can be independent. The base of the bed (foundation) is fabric covered, and hopefully, will let the latex breathe–again, every inch counts, and if I were to put a mat under the latex mattress, this would increase the height. I’m hoping that the natural wool layer would be sufficient to let the latex mattress breathe. Also, I was wondering if latex would be the right material for an adjustable bed. My mother sometime exhibits incontinence, and this is a common issue with her, so she sometimes urinates on her sheets, although I always put a disposable mattress pad down to minimize the situation… I notice that hospital bed mattresses are covered top=to-bottom with a zippered waterproof mattress cover. If I were to put the latex mattress in this type of enclosure, total cut off from the air, I assume that the mattress wouldn’t be able to breathe. In that case, would a latex mattress make sense at all for her situation? Also, is there a discount with this site through your website: https://www.sleepez.com?

Hi mattress question,

Good ventilation is important for any foam mattress not just latex but if anything it would be less important with latex than with other types of foam materials such as polyfoam and memory foam because the latex itself is already more breathable than other types of foam materials.

You can see my comments about solid surface support systems under a mattress in post #10 here. While it’s true that they can add some additional risk in terms of mold, mildew, and dust mites because of the lack of ventilation under the mattress … in most cases if there aren’t any additional risk factors involved they would be fine.

Wool is also one of the best materials in the industry in terms of temperature and moisture regulation and IMO would be a good choice as a quilting material for someone that will be on their mattress for extended periods of time.

In very general terms most foam mattresses (memory foam, latex foam, polyfoam) that aren’t more than about 12" thick and most pocket coil mattresses will be flexible enough to work well on an adjustable bed. Foam mattresses that are over about 12" thick may not contour to the adjustable bed as effectively. While in general terms thinner mattresses will tend to be more flexible than thicker mattresses and will contour to an adjustable bed more effectively … this can also depend on the specifics of the mattress layers and components so 12" thickness is only a general guideline because some mattresses that are a little thicker than that which use more flexible materials may still be fine and some mattresses that are less than that may be less flexible and not work as well.

Latex in particular is a very good choice for an adjustable bed because it is more elastic, flexible, and “bendy” and is also more durable than other types of foam materials that would generally be used in the base layers of a mattress.

Latex is also less affected by moisture and humidity than other types of materials … especially memory foam so once again it can make a good choice in your mom’s circumstances.

Having said that of course … it’s never a good idea to let moisture build up in a mattress regardless of whether it would actually break down the material so a mattress protector is always a good idea with any mattress to protect your mattress from stains and the body fluids, skin cells, oils that we release each night, to protect against spills and accidents, and to keep your sleeping surface in a clean and hygienic condition. It will also protect your warranty because mattress warranties are usually voided with any type of stain on a mattress.

There is more about the pros and cons of different types of mattress protectors and some examples of each of them in post #89 here that can help you choose between them. Any of them would be suitable for a latex mattress but waterproof may be a little more important in your circumstances.

Some of the “thin membrane” types of waterproof protectors are also waterproof on 5 sides rather than just the top surface so they may also be worth considering if there is a risk of spills or accidents running down the side of the mattress but I wouldn’t use a mattress encasement unless it was really necessary for allergy reasons rather than protecting the mattress because they are designed to be used on a “semi permanent” basis and aren’t nearly as easy to remove and clean on a regular basis.

Yes … SleepEZ is one of the members of this site which means that I think highly of them and that I believe that they compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, knowledge, and transparency. They provide a 5% discount/rebate on most of their mattress to the forum members here if you let them know you are a member of the forum.

Phoenix