Bed for MS patient Helle Pedersen:
“To me, this means freedom”
Helle Pedersen is 64 years old. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1999. Helle has had a RotoBed® for 4 years.
I suffer from sclerosis and have no strength left in my legs, and I can no longer get out of bed on my own. My husband became hemiplegic after a stroke and can use only one hand, which makes it too hard for him to help me. If we were to have helpers in our bedroom at night, my husband would probably sleep in another room with consequences for our marriage.
The municipality first rejected my application for a RotoBed®. But I filed a complaint describing our everyday life, and how much help I would otherwise need because of my sclerosis. Then it was approved.
I want to stay independent
The local government has a tendency to act as if disabled people don’t have a life. My husband and I often go to the cinema or the theater and I refuse to go home whenever it fits the municipality to put me to bed. I want to stay independent.
If I had to just sit alone and inactive at home all day, I would become increasingly depressed and my sclerosis would worsen. Things work that way.
This bed replaces five visits
For the municipality, the budget is often the most important issue and one must say that the cost of a RotoBed® quickly evens out when the bed replaces five visits from helpers every day.
To me this bed means everything. I can go to bed whenever I like, get up whenever I like, and I avoid having a large number of caregivers rushing in an out of the house. I can do things myself. To me, this means freedom.
What is MS – and how can a RotoBed® help?
Research shows a clear link between tissue loss in the spinal cord and MS patients’ sensory and motor loss of function.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a condition that disrupts the flow of information between the brain and body, as well as within the brain. MS is one of the most common neurological conditions for people between 20 and 40 years of age.
The cause of multiple sclerosis is not yet known and therefore unfortunately there is no cure yet. However, in many cases, the disease and its symptoms can be alleviated with medical treatment.
Most people are diagnosed with MS between the ages of 20 and 50 years, and a large majority of the patients are women. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS are variable, which is why MS is often referred to as “the disease with a 1000 faces”. However, common symptoms are:
- Numbness of face, body, or extremities
- Fatigue
- Walking difficulties
- Vision problems
- Muscle weakness
(sources: www.nationalmssociety.org and www.scleroseforeningen.dk)
All of these symptoms can make it harder to control body movements and therefore also harder to get in and out of bed. A RotoBed® gently rotates the user out of bed in less than one minute – with no pain and no physical effort. This leaves the user with more energy for other purposes during the day.
Who else can benefit from a RotoBed? See what other users and relatives say.
