For those of you that are wondering what a sleepchair is, it is simply a comfortable chair that converts in a completely flat sleeping surface for overnight stays.
These are mostly used for the patients support person or family member and provides a 24-hour comfortable stay.
The nursing shortage crisis in Canada brought about the awareness of the value a support person or family member makes in the care of a patient. When there just wasn’t enough nurses in the hospitals to care for the sick, these persons became invaluable in performing some of the non-nursing duties that the nurse would of otherwise had to do. A simple glass of ice water, help to the bathroom or even opening/closing the curtains didn’t require a professional staff member to perform these task yet without the family support person, it had to be done by someone.
Many hospitals have spent time and money to provide a positive atmosphere for the patients but there is no greater atmosphere than to have a familiar friend to be with you. A positive atmosphere contributes to faster recovery and a positive patient experience.
The sleepchair provides a comfortable chair by day, and a safe and comfortable bed by night. Rather than fighting with the traditional folding cots that IPAC condemned for bed bugs and pinched your fingers, the chair simply extends into the sleeping surface, saving storage space and time.
Choosing a sleepchair is important as not all are created equally. The first consideration is the space where it will be put in the room. What is the maximum width and length that the room can accept? Secondly, do you want the user to be able to see clearly what is going on around them while in the sleep position or do you want to block it out? Then you need to look at cleanability, styling, egress/ingress, etc.
To summarize, a sleepchair is more than just furniture, it has a significant purpose and value. The cost of most sleep chairs is easy math against the professional staff hours that will be saved by making an inviting space for a family support person to stay with a patient.