Written by Megan Smith, PT
Caring for bedridden patients and the elderly can be a daunting task even for the most experienced nurses and caregivers. This job is that much harder when you’re caring for a bedridden senior at home. Because this population is more prone to health risks due to extended lying or sitting, utilizing patient positioning pillows can help tremendously in optimizing their health and comfort. Read on to learn how to choose the best positioning support for your loved ones.
 | 1) Avana Kind Bed Orthopedic Support Pillow System View Product |
Taking the 5th position in our review, the Memory Foam Knee Positioning Pillow by Carex delivers exceptional lower back, leg, and hip support. Placed between the user’s legs, this knee pillow reduces pressure and promotes better circulation by keeping the legs, hips, and spine parallel and properly aligned. Its premium-quality memory foam construction reacts quickly, offering instant relief and enhanced comfort.
Hypoallergenic to minimize sensitivity reactions, this positioning pillow for elderly users and those confined to bed is also super soft to the touch to further optimize user comfort. Its removable soft cover protects the knee pillow for long-lasting functionality and is conveniently machine-washable for easy care and cleaning. It’s a great option for anyone living with hip, low back, and leg pain.
Grabbing the 4th spot on our list with their ability to offer support for patients in a supine, prone, and sitting position, the Adult Pelvic Sacral Blocks by Core Products come in a pair to meet multiple mid to lower body positioning needs. Helping to relieve pressure and pain from the sacrum and lower back, these blocks assist in correctly aligning the pelvis for optimal comfort and health. Because one end is higher than the other, these very firm wedges can be used independently or combined in a variety of ways to suit specific user needs.
Durable and long-lasting, their closed-cell foam construction prevents moisture from being absorbed and makes them easy to clean with a damp cloth for effective microbial control. This sacral block set also utilizes proprietary Scoot-Gard to prevent them from moving during use. Frequently utilized as bed wedges for elderly and bedridden patients, the Core Products pelvic sacral blocks are also employed by chiropractors as positioning tools that are useful for diverse treatment techniques.
We gave the 3rd slot in our review to the HeelZup Cloud Heel Suspension Cushion for its unique, beneficial design and unrivaled heel pressure relief. Well-suited for people prone to pressure ulcers and/or swelling in the feet and ankles, the ImmersaFlex Contouring system supports the leg from thigh to ankle, allowing the foot to float free. Innovatively constructed to eliminate the ‘ledge’ effect common with other heel cushions, this cloud-like suspension helps to prevent the negative effects from hammocking, providing floating-heel support when lying on your back or your side.
Much cooler and more comfortable than boot support devices, this heel suspension cushion comes in both disposable and reusable options to suit both institutional and home care needs. Four different sizes ensure a perfect fit for adults up to 6 feet tall. Antimicrobial, hypoallergenic, and moisture-proof, the HeelZup Cloud is protected with a removable, machine-washable cover that’s super soft, helping to reduce shear and friction against the skin.
Enabling single-caregiver capability, the Skil-Care In-Bed Resident Positioning System takes the 2nd position on our list for its unparalleled whole-body support to turn and reposition bedridden patients. This 3-part patient positioning system consists of 2 long bolster wedges and 1 TLC pad with handles, enabling one caregiver to rotate and position heavier residents safely and independently. Both the wedges and the pad provide moisture and urine-proof barriers, making this system a great choice for patients living with incontinence. The wedges are easy to wipe down and the pad is machine-washable, ensuring long-lasting performance and simplified sanitation and maintenance.
Facilitating lateral positioning and roll control, this Skil-Care positioning system also provides upper body positioning, along with arm, leg, and knee support. Turning and repositioning immobile patients helps to prevent pressure injuries, alleviating pain and compression. The 2 wedges buttress side-lying patients to ensure proper support, while the Velcro strips on the bottom of the wedges keep them from sliding for stay-in-place dependability.
With its infinite positioning options and superior quality components, the modular Avana Kind Bed Orthopedic Support Pillow System by Avana Comfort is our number 1 choice for the best patient positioning pillows for the elderly and bedridden people. This unique 4-piece system includes a back scoop, scoop cradle, headrest, and knee rest, delivering comfortable, customizable positioning support for the entire body. Conforming to body angles with their ergonomic shapes, the pillows in this system can be used together or separately to relieve pressure and ensure correct positioning in bed or on a sofa.
Constructed with medium-density urethane foam that has an inch of premium 4-pound memory foam, these positioning pillows offer unrivaled comfort. Retaining their shape for long-lasting functionality, they’re also protected with a super-soft polyester/micro-velvet cover that’s conveniently machine-washable for easy care. Available in 6 different contemporary color combinations to suit your decor, this micro-velvet texture also prevents the pillows from sliding out of place. Especially targeting the body areas most prone to achiness and discomfort, such as the neck, lower back, and knees, the Avana Kind pillow system is a great positioning support option for every BODY!
Because patient positioning pillows come in a wide assortment of styles and functionality, it is more important to consider where the support is needed to be able to determine the best pillow to meet the unique needs of seniors or bedridden patients.
Choose a knee pillow for support between the knees for lying on the side or underneath the knees for lying on the back.
For stiff and achy neck pain, try a positioning pillow that holds your head in a neutral position with the neck straight. Bolstering pillows placed at each side of the head can help with keeping your neck in the correct positioning.
Select a positioning pillow to support a painful or injured shoulder/rotator cuff when lying on the back to relieve pressure and pain. Tucking a positioning pillow underneath the painful shoulder when lying on that side can stop the arm from moving forward as well.
The best pillow placement for hip pain is underneath the knees when lying on the back, or on the uninjured side with a pillow between the knees. Knee positioning pillows are best for this purpose, while sacral/pelvic support pillows are a good option as well.
The best positional pillow support following knee replacement surgery is one that supports the legs lengthwise from ankle to hip, ensuring the legs stay straight for proper healing and recovery.
When it’s not due to replacement surgery, knee pain is best addressed with a knee pillow between the knees for side-lying and underneath the knees for back lying.
People living with obstructive sleep apnea and other respiratory conditions should choose a bed wedge cushion to elevate their head and torso for both back and side-lying.
Because it’s best for people with reflux issues to sleep on their left side with the torso elevated, wedge-style positioning pillows with an incline of at least 30 degrees are the best option for relieving heartburn problems.
For swelling (edema), vein problems, and other circulatory disorders, experts recommend elevating the feet to be at the same level as the heart. Choose wedges or other positioning pillows specifically designed to elevate the legs and feet. Sleeping on the left side is recommended to improve poor circulation as well.
Hunching of the back, which is common with aging, osteoporosis, fractures, and disc degeneration, can be better supported with a positional pillow placed underneath the curve of the spine when lying on the side.
Prevent pressure injuries and wounds by using positioning pillows to off-load body weight in specific areas of the body more prone to pressure ulcer development. Choose lower leg pillows that float the heel, allowing the foot to rest in space to prevent heel and ankle pressure injuries.
When a patient is mostly or completely immobile and unable to move in bed, it’s important to choose positioning pillow systems that help you turn the patient and reposition them. Full-body bolsters on each side can assist with positioning and ensure the patient does not fall out of bed.
A: To safely prop up an elderly person up in bed, the most secure method for everyone involved is to have one caregiver on each side of the patient. The goal is to pull the patient toward the head of the bed, and not lift them. However, it is important to note that this should never be done by grabbing the patient under their arms and pulling, as this can cause shoulder injuries.
Gently roll the patient to one side of the bed, placing a half rolled-up slide sheet or draw sheet (a bed sheet folded in half) against the patient’s back. Roll the patient onto the sheet, spreading the sheet out flat beneath the patient, ensuring their head, shoulders, and hips are on the sheet. Both caregivers then grab the sheet on each side at the upper back and hips of the patient, putting one foot forward and their weight on their back leg.
Using a specified count, both caregivers move the patient in tandem, shifting weight to their front leg as they pull the sheet toward the head of the bed. If the patient is able to, they can help this process by bringing their chin to meet their chest and bending their knees, with heels of their feet remaining on the bed to push with as the caregivers pull up.
A: The best sleeping positions for seniors are on the back or side, ensuring the body is in a neutral position, with no stretched, squeezed, or awkwardly placed body parts that can cause pain or discomfort. Using a positional pillow under the knees when lying on the back or between the knees when lying on the side mitigates pain and pressure from the hips and lower back. Using a wedge or positional pillow underneath the head and torso can help seniors living with acid reflux or sleep apnea, along with lying on the left side.
A: Also known as an orthopedic pillow, a medical pillow is designed to provide specific positioning support while lying in bed or sitting on a sofa, chair, or recliner. Conforming to orthopedic guidelines to ensure the proper support of various body areas, medical pillows are also constructed with specialized materials to retain their shape, relieve pressure, and optimize user comfort. They’re often used therapeutically for various medical conditions, such as sleep apnea, circulatory problems, acid reflux, rotator cuff injuries, lower back pain, insomnia, and much more.
A: There are many different pillow supports for bedridden patients. Some designs offer full-body positioning support, while others are smaller and intended for support of a specific body area. For bedridden patients who are also partly or totally immobile, it is crucial for their carers to provide turning and repositioning assistance to optimize patient health and comfort. Also known as medical pillows, orthopedic pillows, treatment pillows, and patient positioning pillows, a pillow for bedridden patients comes in a variety of sizes and styles to meet specific user needs.
A: The main difference is that a wedge pillow raises the top half of the body while reclining on your back, while a patient positioning pillow can be configured in a multitude of formats to provide positioning support for all parts of the body. From full systems that provide full-body bolstering and assistance for turning, to knee pillows and heel-lifting suspension, patient positioning pillows come in a wide array of design options to suit every part of the body.
A: Patient positioning pillows help to prevent pressure ulcers by reducing the pressure on various parts of the body when lying in bed or sitting in a chair for extended periods of time. Helping to keep circulation flowing and reducing pain and irritation, positional pillows come in many different formats for the areas of the body more prone to pressure ulcer development. These areas include the heels, ankles, knees, hips, spine, tailbone area, elbows, shoulders/shoulder blades, back of the head, and ears.
Ensuring the elderly and bedridden patients in your care remain as comfortable as possible, patient positioning pillows provide specialized support for people who spend a lot of time in bed. While you can try cramming regular pillows under loved ones lying in bed, most of us find we need more exacting support to attain effective and comfortable positioning.
Although all of the patient positioning pillows to make our review will be the best choice for those specific support needs, we selected the Avana Kind Bed Orthopedic Support Pillow System as our number one choice. Offering infinite positioning options with its superior-quality modular construction, this patient positioning pillow system delivers optimal support to meet a wide array of user needs.
Thanks for reading, and we invite you to learn more caregiving tips at Caregiver University, an educational resource for family caregivers. You can also find more positioning and support options with our comprehensive Pillows, Cushions, and Pads catalog.
Megan has been a part of Rehabmart since its inception nearly 20 years ago. For the past several years she has been enjoying her role as HR Director while maintaining her Physical Therapy license. When she isn't working on her next in-service or working to find a new team member, she enjoys her five children, helping those who have PT type ailments, baking, practicing yoga, and working out.
