Blanket raiser or cradle

Blanket raisers fall into the category of bedding aids and they can be very beneficial in certain short term or long terms situations.

These aids can alternatively be called blanket cradles or lift bars.

A blanket raiser is a lightweight frame that fits underneath the cover, quilt or blanket of a bed and raises those items of bedding above the body. i.e. it prevents any part of the bedding covering from resting against, or coming into direct contact with, the person in the bed.

This means that anyone in the bed will be enclosed within the bedding (below the neck) as if in their own small tent.

Who benefits from a blanket raiser

These aids can be valuable if a patient has some kind of sensitivity or an injury that would make the weight or feel of bedding sheets uncomfortable. A typical example would be after some kind of surgery, or when recovering from an injury.

Blanket raisers can be frames that rest on the mattress (either side of the patient), or they may have a section of the frame that is held between the mattress and the bed frame (divan). When this is the case there is no danger of the patient’s body touching or moving the frame and one side of the bed will be completely free of any frame or support.

The blanket raiser frame can be a full frame, i.e. intended to lift the bedding above the feet, legs, arms and body, or a partial frame where only a section of the bedding is elevated, e.g. above the legs. Some cradles will also fold away.