Choosing a pressure mattress
The right pressure mattress depends on one question. Is the skin still intact? If it is, and the person can shift their own weight, a good foam mattress from $799 does the job.
If there's a red mark that doesn't fade, a wound, or they can't move themselves, you need air that moves the load for them. That starts around $1,500. A wound nurse or OT will usually have scored the risk already.
Tell us the score and the weight and we'll match it.
Foam or air
Foam mattresses spread weight by letting the body sink in. They have no pump, nothing to go wrong and no noise. The Aspire Lifecomfort Deluxe ($799) is three layers with a memory foam top.
The Lifecomfort Pressure Reducing ($1,099) adds a fourth layer and firm side walls, which help someone get to the edge of the bed and stand. The Care of Sweden Optimal 5zon ($2,099.95) is a five-zone foam rated for risk up to category 3. It has a sit function so the person can eat upright.
Static air works like foam but with air cells that settle to the body. The CuroCell Area Zone ($3,999.95) has nine air zones and no pump at all. The SAM PRO CF10 ($3,499.95) is an overlay with a quiet pump that only runs when it needs to. Both are rated to category 3.
Alternating air inflates and deflates cells in turn, so no patch of skin carries weight for long. This is for high risk and for wounds that already exist. The Aspire Active Air 5 ($2,699) is a medium risk overlay that sits on the existing mattress.
The Active Air 8 ($3,539) replaces the mattress and is rated high risk. It raises its own pressure when the bed head goes past 45 degrees. The CuroCell A4 CX10 ($5,499.95) is rated to category 4 with a pump that sets itself.
The Smik overlay ($1,499.95) is the entry point, with a manual pump.
The Aspire Hybrid Comfort ($2,599) is the one to know about if the risk might change. It's a foam mattress that becomes an alternating air mattress when you plug in the pump.
Risk level, weight and height
| Mattress | Type | Rated for | User weight | Height | From |
| Aspire Lifecomfort Deluxe | Foam | Comfort, low risk | 30 to 150kg | 150mm | $799 |
| Vulcan Three Layer | Foam | Low risk | 180kg | 150mm | $794.95 |
| Aspire Lifecomfort Pressure Reducing | Foam | Low to moderate risk | 30 to 150kg (queen 300kg) | 150mm | $1,099 |
| Eurocare T5 | Foam | Prevention | 180kg | 170mm | $1,099.95 |
| Smik alternating overlay | Alternating air | Waterlow 18 to 20 | 35 to 150kg | 130mm | $1,499.95 |
| Aspire ComfiMotion Memory Foam, Pressure Care | Foam | Pressure relief | 180kg (double 360kg) | 200mm | $1,699 |
| Optimal 5zon | Foam | Up to category 3 | 180kg | 140mm | $2,099.95 |
| Aspire Hybrid Comfort | Foam, air when pumped | Acute | 30 to 230kg (bariatric 380kg) | 170mm | $2,599 |
| Aspire Active Air 5 overlay | Alternating air | Medium risk | 30 to 175kg | 130mm | $2,699 |
| SAM PRO CF10 overlay | Static air | Up to category 3 | 15 to 250kg | 150mm | $3,499.95 |
| Aspire Active Air 8 replacement | Alternating air | High risk | 30 to 200kg | 200mm | $3,539 |
| CuroCell Area Zone | Static air, no pump | Up to category 3 | 230kg | 180mm | $3,999.95 |
| CuroCell A4 CX10 overlay | Alternating air | Up to category 4 | 200kg | 100mm | $5,499.95 |
Ratings are the makers' own. Category 1 to 4 is the pressure injury staging used by wound nurses, 1 being redness that doesn't fade and 4 being a deep wound. Waterlow is a risk score. Ask us if a report uses a different scale.
Overlay or replacement
An overlay goes on top of the mattress you have. It's cheaper, lighter to deliver and the height adds up, so check bed rails still clear it.
A replacement is the whole mattress. If the mattress underneath is old and sagging, an overlay on top of it is money wasted, and a replacement is the honest answer. Under any air overlay, an Aspire pressure safety underlay ($499) stops the person bottoming out if the air fails.
What undoes a good mattress
A thick waterproof sheet on top of an air mattress stops it working. It holds the body on a tight layer above the cells. Use a stretch sheet made for the job, and look at the incontinence bed sheets that stretch with the surface.
Heels take more pressure than anywhere else, so float them on a pillow under the calves. And the chair matters as much as the bed. Someone who sits up most of the day needs a pressure cushion too, or the day undoes the night.
If someone is already on an alternating mattress, check the pump is on and the setting matches their weight each time you change the bed. A pump switched off by accident is the commonest problem we see.
Funding
Foam mattresses under $1,500 are low cost assistive technology for NDIS participants and come from the core budget. Anything over that is mid or high cost. Up to $15,000 the NDIA wants written advice from an OT or other health professional that names the mattress and its cost. Over $15,000 it also wants an assessor's report and a quote.
The NDIA's assistive technology page sets out the bands. We're NDIS registered (4050144759) and quote the same day the report lands. For a hospital discharge, send us the letter and we'll translate it into the exact mattress.
Questions we get asked
Foam or alternating air?
Foam if the skin is intact and the person can move. Air if there's a wound or they can't. The full comparison is in foam or alternating air mattress.
Will it work on an adjustable bed?
Yes. These are made for care beds and bend with the sections. The Active Air 8 adjusts its own pressure when the head goes up. Check the size matches the bed platform, usually single or king single.
Is the pump noisy?
Care of Sweden describes the CuroCell A4 pump as silent and vibration free, and the SAM PRO pump only runs when it needs to top up. If noise matters for sleep, tell us and we'll steer you to the right one.
What happens in a power cut?
The Active Air 5 holds its air for 24 hours. Others vary, which is why the safety underlay is worth having under any overlay.
How do I clean it?
Covers wipe down, and several (the Eurocare T5 and the Active Air 8 among them) are machine washable. Follow the label on the cover. Never put the foam itself in water.
Is a cheap foam overlay any good?
The Lifecomfort convoluted overlay ($169) adds comfort and airflow for someone at low risk. It isn't pressure care for anyone who's been told they're at risk.
If a nurse has said the words "pressure area", don't wait for the next review. Call Nadim on 1300 216 888 with the risk score and the person's weight, and the right mattress will be on its way this week.
