I’m really excited because tomorrow i get a new bed! There’s a lot of hope resting on the new bed, so its a very big thing in my life right now.
Here is the design of my new bed:
I’ve always found sleep hard. When i was a kid we figured out that i sleep best in enclosed spaces. Over the years i’ve slept in cabin beds, corner beds, underneath beds and in bed tents.
While i was in supported living i was "encoraged" to sleep more "normally" so the bed tents etc went away and my sleep got worse.
When i moved into my first flat (shared with my boyfriend) i worked with a carpenter and he made me a custom bed with a side that goes up and down.
My sleep improved immediately and it’s been my bed for the last 7 years!
My bed is very important as it is my "safe place". It is very consistent and when i am having a meltdown its the place i go and hide. I have a plush lion who is my dedicated "bed manager", he makes sure it is exactly the same every night.
The major flaw with my current bed is that it is very hard to lift and lower the side from within the bed. If i have numb fingers (which is pretty often!) i can’t easily undo the latches.
This means if i am home alone i am forced to either risk trapping myself in a bed i can’t get out of, or sleeping with the side down and a large drop to the floor.
I don’t feel safe or sleep well with either arrangement! At the moment a friend helps me with the side at bedtime.
I’m not the only person who needs secure and enclosed sleeping spaces. There are a few products out there which would do the job.
However, they are either overkill for my needs or too expensive. For example, the safe spaces cosyfit. It looks like an amazing product and the company are extremely nice, but it’s just way more than i need or can afford.
I was discussing this with someone at the local autism hub and they told me about a company called Tough Furniture. They make furniture for "special needs" and have a custom design service.
I emailed them and they came back with a really awesome design!
The new bed is a much simpler than my old bed. It’s a short cabin bed with really tall sides and a cut out for getting in and out.
The sides are large enough i still have somewhere i feel safe. I can hide in a corner etc and not be visible. I also won’t fall out no matter how much i move etc.
The cutout will hopefully mean i can get in and out without any help too
Finally, its around 30% of the cost of the alternatives. A relative bargain really.
The hope is that the bed will make me feel safer at home and remove one of the barriers to me living independently.
Overnight support is the hardest to arrange and fund. The bed is a step towards being able to sleep "home alone" and once i can do that my life will get much much simpler.
