Geri chair pillow

CareBear81

Any recommendations on a pillow for my mom’s Geri chair? We have been instructed by hospice to put her in her chair if after being medicated at night she continues to be restless and doesn’t want to go to sleep. Eventually she does fall asleep in her chair but then I’m the morning I see her slumped over to the side. That can’t possibly be good for her neck. I have a pillow for her head in the chair but she still ends up on the sides of the chair.

I thought about a travel pillow but I can still see her slumping over the sides. Any ideas or has anyone seen a pillow that would maybe cradle her? I don’t know if that would help but she spends a lot of nights in her chair and want her to be comfortable.

Jo C.

Hello CareBear; there are a variety of Geri Chair Head Support Pillows one can find online using Google.  Some are larger neck supports, others are different.

I wonder if Hospice supplied the chair?  If so, and even if not so, they should be able to find the head support your mother needs and provide it to you. 

By some chance, if they will not provide the medically necessary support device, then you can look for it online.  NOTE:  The term, "medically necessary" is important as Hospice must provide that.  Not to have the head supported can lead to various painful conditions, so they would hopefully cover this after assessing what type of support is needed.

My mother needed a head support pillow for her Geri Chair at her care unit; they did provide it and it worked very well.  It was very sad to know that my LO had lost the ability to hold her head up, but that was one more point of deep sadness with each change that evolved.

Let us know how it goes, I will be thinking of you.

J.

mommyandme (m&m)

It doesn’t recline?

Jo C.

As I found out with my mother; even if the chair reclines, if the neck no longer can function to hold/support the head; the head will flop forward, or down to the sides, etc. A head support pillow was neessary to hold the head; this is also an issue of comfort.

J.

aod326

DH's chair reclined, and also had a removable neck support. It helped him a lot, until he started tipping forward from his neck. Even with the recliner and an anti-thrust cushion (the name of which always makes me giggle!) eventually we had to leave him in bed because it was too much of a strain on his neck.