It just looks like a double bed, but:
Both husband and wife are free from pain
Bent Vogn suffers from multiple sclerosis. Elin is his caregiver. But above all, they are a married couple who want to live life as normally as possible. Their RotoBed® beds help them do that.
61-year-old Bent Vogn from Svendborg, Denmark, has fought all his life. First as a footballer at division level – now he fights against what he calls “a shitty disease”. Sclerosis, which struck him suddenly at the age of 44. Slowly but surely, the disease takes away his agility and muscle strength, but Bent fights on.
– As an old footballer, I want to win, even over this disease. Of course, I can’t, but I fight to maintain my quality of life. And my dignity. I don’t want to be hoisted, it’s not dignified, states Bent.
But half a year ago, getting in and out of bed had become a struggle – both for Bent and for his wife Elin.
– I used far too much effort to be transferred. Just having to sit up and balance on the edge of an ordinary bed was difficult. And it was also very hard for Elin to help me.
That’s why Elin got excited when she saw an advertisement for a bed that could rotate. A RotoBed®.
– I showed it to Bent, and we had no doubts. None of us had ever seen such a bed before, but we agreed that it had to be the right one, says Elin.
Bent and Elin initially rented two beds. A RotoBed®Change with rotation for Bent, and a RotoBed®Classic for Elin – similar, only without rotation. They stand side by side and look like a nice double bed, which is also important, emphasizes Bent.
– The bed itself is nice. It doesn’t look like a nursing bed, and that’s something all our guests comment on. I don’t want pity, and we make a virtue of our home not looking like a home for a disabled. Things must look as ordinary as possible, he says.
More freedom and less pain
The most important thing, however, is that it is no longer a struggle for Bent to get in and out of bed – or a heavy burden for Elin to help him.
– At the start, we had to find the right way to do the transfer in our situation, where Bent has to get into a vertical lift and must not slide down. But it didn’t take long, then it just worked, and every day we get better at using it, says Elin.
She and Bent insist on living life together. To have an everyday life with content. They go to concerts, they invite children and grandchildren home, and they enjoy the short trips to visit and spend the night with family.
– We can still do that today. As soon as I start ceiling lifting, I’ll get weaker and then we won’t have that option anymore. That would limit me completely, states Bent.
Now Bent and Elin no longer rent their beds. They have bought them because, in addition to freedom, the beds have also given the couple a pain-free everyday life.
– I used to have pain in my lower back and my back – it’s logical, because a twist happened every time Elin had to pull my legs over the edge of the bed. I no longer have those pains at all, says Bent.
Elin also feels better, as she no longer has to pull and push to help her husband in and out of bed:
– I can clearly feel it. I have been struggling with my shoulders and back and had to follow a back training program and have massages for the pain. I don’t need that at all anymore. It’s so nice because I also want to be able to last a few more years. And for us, the most important thing is that we can manage ourselves. Together, the two of us.
Can a RotoBed® help people with MS to get out of bed?
Many of our users suffer from MS. The symptoms of this condition include muscle weakness, fatigue and walking difficulties. These symptoms make it harder to control the body movements. Therefore, to get in and out of bed becomes a strenuous, unmanageable and often painful task.
The first problem occurs when the user is lying in bed and wants to get up. This everyday event seems insignificant to most people, but requires cooperation between many of the body’s muscles. The abdominal muscles must be activated, the body must be twisted, and the legs must be lifted and then turned towards the room. For a person with muscle weakness and muscle fatigue, this proces can be very difficult.
A RotoBed® will do all the hard work for you. Simulating the body’s natural movement, it will gently take you to a sitting position before rotation you towards the room. A RotoBed® can either lead you to get out of bed in a perpendicular exit angle or an oblique exit angle to facilitate transfer to a walker or a wheelchair. The entire rotation takes less than one minute.
The last challenge for many users will be to get to standing position, which without help requires relatively great muscle power. Strained knees or hips will aggravate the problem. With a RotoBed® with height adjustment, the movement is significantly facilitated.
