Latex mattress help!!!

I’m looking for configuration of a latex bed for my father who is :
90 years old,
5’ 10" with all his weight in the middle,
has constant back pain
uses a walker
has a rip in his rotator cuff
has a problem rolling over in a soft bed
He wants a firm bed but after reading everything possible and looking at all the supposedly " good mattress companies" I’m at a loss has to decide how to determine which base layers and which comfort layers would serve my father best!!! For example.- Would it be best to try a 6" dunlop (firm or extra firm base) , a second layer of 2" dunlop (firm or extra firm), and a comfort layer of 2" talalay or dunlop (medium).

Hi Robin,

Welcome to the Mattress Forum! :slight_smile:

I see that you registered with your email address and your screen name. Because of automated spambots that peruse the internet, I’d recommend that you go back into your profile and revise your name here on the forum.

It’s nice that you’re taking the time to help him.

OK, I’m going to throw a bit of information at you, some of which you may have already read, but just in case you haven’t, this will all be useful as you assist your father.

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 process is the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice for your dad.

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 your dad) 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 or how a mattress will “feel” to you (or your dad) or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress), sleeping positions, health conditions, or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more reliable than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or your own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).

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 your dad 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 he will sleep), durability (how long he 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).

I would always make sure that you find out information listed here so you can compare the quality of the materials and components to the durability guidelines here to make sure there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress that would be a cause for concern relative to the durability and useful life of a mattress before making any purchase. Since you’re considering latex, you certainly are thinking about using materials that are of high quality and durability.

Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a mattress that is “good for back pain” in general terms (just like there is no such thing as one mattress that is suitable for everyone) … there is only a mattress that is good for “HIS” back pain and this would be a mattress that keeps his spine in good alignment in all his sleeping positions over the course of the night and would be different for different people.

When you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart and who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc.) and the options they have available that may be the best “match” for your dad based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses he has slept on and liked or other mattresses he is considering that they are familiar with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences or to other mattresses that they are familiar with than anyone else.

A good online retailer or manufacturer will generally make suggestions that they honestly believe have the best chance of success based on the information you provide them when you talk to them on the phone because this is in both your own and their best interests but again … at the end of the day the only way to know for certain whether any specific mattress is a good match for your father in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP will be based on your or his careful testing and/or your own personal experience so if you can’t test a specific mattress in person then the options you have available after a purchase to either exchange the mattress or individual layers or components or return the mattress for a refund (and any costs involved) would generally become a more important part of your personal value equation just in case a mattress you purchase doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for.

Since you are interested specifically in latex mattresses then this link in the tutorial is to a list of the members here that sell mattresses online and many of them sell latex mattresses that use different types and blends of latex that have a wide range of different designs, options, features, return and exchange policies, and prices that may be worth considering. Post #3 here also includes a list of many of the online manufacturers that sell component latex mattresses if you want to go that route.

Unfortunately, nobody has a crystal ball that can predict which specific mattress or combination of materials and components your father will like best or that he will sleep best on with any certainty based on specs or “theory at a distance”.

Getting a bit more technical, there is more about primary or “deep” support and secondary or “surface” support and their relationship to firmness and pressure relief and the “roles” of different layers in a mattress in post #2 here and in post #4 here that may also be helpful in clarifying the difference between “support” and “pressure relief” and “feel” that may be useful as well. You can read more about Dunlop (of either type) vs Talalay latex in post #7 here.

The combinations you described certainly would result in a firm mattress, by most standards. It is popular for people to use Dunlop in the lower layers, with a medium to soft Dunlop or Talalay in the upper layer. The layer closest to the skin is the one that has the greatest impact upon overall comfort, so often this is the layer that people tend to fine tune the most.

Take some time to read through the information I’ve provided and then either find local stores that carry the type of latex product in which you have an interest, or place some phone calls to the manufacturers and retailers I linked to previously. I’ll be interested in learning about your progress.

Phoenix