I am planning to replace my furniture in my living room soon, but I’d like to be smarter about it, if possible.
I currently have a sofa with cushions that have flattened to the point of feeling the wooden frame, which is very uncomfortable. I do sleep in my living room quite a bit in winter, so I need to keep that in mind.
So, given my terrible bones, might a recliner be better? Or a straight back chair and a love seat so I can switch between them? Are there ergonomic suggestions for older people with bones as bad as mine?
I’d appreciate all of your suggestions before I waste a bit of money, again.
Sorry I don’t know the brand, but a good friend of mine with a bad back, like he recently had surgery in it bad, recently got a recliner that helps him stand up and he loves it. I’ve seen it and it looks something like this one.
^ Yes, that was the very first thing that I thought of. My late MIL used to sleep in hers all the time and my wife ends up there when the snoring gets too loud.
I’m unclear on the way in which OP’s bones are “bad.”
The first thing I thought of was osteoporosis, and you wanted to have furniture that wouldn’t crack a bone if you accidentally hit your leg on it. Now I’m guessing that’s not it.
My second guess is that your bones cause you pain if they are not properly cushioned when you are sitting or lying down. Since I have this issue, I can sympathize. We recently bought a new sofa, and within a couple of months, I could feel the frame through the seat cushion, so now I have another cushion on top of the cushion, which works for me.
My problem was I didn’t know how to evaluate the construction of seat cushions in order to know which kind will maintain their cushioning effect, so maybe someone here who knows about that stuff could weigh in and tell the OP (and me, next time) what to look for. I’m sure the good kind are also more expensive, but it would have been worth it for me.
I also think it’s a good idea to have two comfortable places to sit, so you can switch back and forth if you need to.
Sorry for not being clear enough. I have bulging discs and osteoporosis. With these terrible cushions, I notice my posture is just awful and that just aggravates everything. If I remove the back cushions to lay on it, the couch just swallows me and I’m glad there isn’t a camera on me when I’m trying to get out of it. This is not an old couch either. Just an inexpensive one.
THey look good, but do find a place where you can try it out before buying!!!
I can not emphasize this enough - a friend of mine got it for her mom, thinking it would be fantastic. She does like the heated and massage bit, and the standard recliner part, but what sucks for her is the ‘lifting’ function - whatever the proportion issues is, it does not gently help her stand up, ,it sort of slaps her forward, but the arms are totally wrong for helping to heave herself UP. So, she sort of slides down to the floor.
Before buying furniture of an sort, bed, chair, sofa, dining table, TRY THE STUFF OUT IN PERSON. I desperately need a new kitchen chair [I sit at a 2 burner arrangement to cook, and sit in a bar stool to wash dishes] because it is pretty mich about 4-5 inches too short, and while I can use the arms to heave my lame arse up, it would be worlds easier if the damned chair were taller [currently using an old desk chair stolen from the trash bin at the local Navy base about a decade ago]
Always check the ergonomics - can you sit down/stand up easily. Is it sturdy enough to roll around, if a bed surface, can you roll over without grabbing something, is it too tall that you need a stool to get into bed/onto the chair.
My parents have recliners, which they find very comfortable for afternoon naps. Both recliners have been lifted about 2" so they are easier to get out of than standard recliners.
My dad is 6’2" and has several discs fused. He’s very happy with his recliner.
Seconding the advice to try before you buy. Also you should probably go for denser cushions that don’t swallow you up. We bought a floor model sectional couch going on 13 years ago, and it’s nearly as firm as when we bought it and just as comfy. Tom Scud makes fun of me because I am frequently asleep within minutes of sprawling to watch Netflix with him. I think there are ways to measure foam density- maybe look into that?
My father did that for my mother’s recliner. A while after she died, he was having trouble getting out of his own recliner, and I had to remind him of what he had done with hers, and that helped. He ended up getting a medical-grade person lifter because he was living alone and could not get up off the floor.
A recliner is a good option. (I often find myself taking naps in mine.) Be sure that it has solid front armrests, because you find yourself using them to help pull yourself up out of the chair. And adding some height (like a 2x4) under the legs might make that easier, too.
The next step is a recliner with an automatic rise mechanism, often called power lift chairs. But make sure this is still as comfortable – some aren’t.
I use a product I got from Amazon. It’s called a Stand-A-Roo. It’s a framework of aluminum tubes which provides a secure assist for getting up out of my recliner. I hope this helps.
Be careful with a recliner especially if you are short. I bought a rocker recliner that I really liked because it was small enough for my feet to touch floor.
Now I am not tough enough to snap back the recliner position to upright. I can get out but can’t get the recliner part to return to chair position. All the relaxing rest I get goes away fighting with the damn footrest. I am going to go look for a swivel chair next time or maybe a power recliner.
When I bought my recliner, I bought one with wooden armrests rather than overstuffed ones, they really give me something to grip onto and pull when I want to get up.
My MIL had a knee replaced a few years ago. We got her a recliner with a control pad with buttons to raise/lower whichever part you want raised/lowered. It moves slowly and smoothly.
This xmas we were pleased to see her using other chairs, because the motorized chair “moves too slow”.