The History of Durable Bed Solutions, Inc.

Durable Bed Solutions, Inc. was created in May of 2006 as an engineering, design and manufacturer of custom beds and accessories for persons with special needs. The origin of Durable Bed Solutions, Inc. can be traced back to 1999, when the Central New York Developmental Disabilities Services Office first ask Lakeside Consulting, Inc., a precursor of Durable Bed Solutions, Inc., for engineering and design help in solving recurring problems with bedrail entrapments. The result of this collaboration lead to the creation of the now patented See-Thru Shields. These entrapment prevention devices were presented across New York State in a demonstration of best practices hosted by the Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities in the fall of 2000. Based on user feedback and our own desire to constantly improve our products, the See-Thru Shields have gone through several technical upgrades and are sold across the country.

The experience gained though working directly with the bed safety stakeholders throughout New York State, including families, administrators, therapists, nurses, and direct care staff, with the design and function of the See-Thru Shields was invaluable. It revealed a number of safety and design shortcomings that are encountered whenever an off the shelf bed is used for a person with special needs. One of the primary lessons learned was that every bed that is made for a person with special needs to be robust.

The twin bed frame, headboard and footboard, shown above, are the components of our first custom twin bed that was designed and built in 2003. The same strength that was engineered into this bed will be found in all of our beds and associated products. It is this durability that is the signature characteristic of this Corporation.

The President of Durable Bed Solutions is Scott Rabe, an engineering graduate of Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York. It is his vision to design and build custom beds that fully satisfy special needs, are ergonomically appropriate for caregivers and have an appearance that would be appropriate in any bedroom.

Unlike all other bed manufactures, your first contact with Durable Bed Solutions, Inc. will not involve a presentation of the different beds that we have for sale. Rather, the first thing that we will want to learn is why you want a custom bed. This discussion, which may include one of our consultant Physical or Occupational Therapists, will include you providing us with a complete description of the physical, safety and/or behavioral issues that need to be accommodated along with all the relevant anthropometric data of the person who will use this bed. Also, we will want to know why the current bed either will likely fail or has already failed to satisfy these needs. Once these facts are known and your choice of colors has been selected, we will work with you to design and build your custom made bed.

The following list highlights examples of some of the hundreds of custom beds that Durable Bed Solutions, Inc. has designed and built across the entire continuum of least restrictive environments.

• Twin beds 44" wide x 96" long for NFL sized people
• Hospital beds made 54" wide for persons with bilateral hip, abduction contractures.
• Twin and hospital beds with full length side rails featuring both a hydraulically assisted drop down rail and 20" tall rail providing 16" of coverage above the sleep surface for persons who are at risk of both entrapment and falling out of bed.
• A complete surround bed that features a double door opening design, which gives the caregiver complete access to the individual in bed. We have designed double door beds from 20" high to 60" high doors for persons at risk of entrapment and falls associated with unassisted egress.
• Finally, our complete surround bed with a canopy top provides the most secure environment. These beds feature our double door design and include a raised polycarbonate canopy over the top to prevent fall injuries from climbing out of bed and the potentially fatal consequences of unescorted egress.

The beds listed above are made out of a combination of powder coated steel, wood and polycarbonate to give both the strength and durability of a bed designed for an institution but with the appeal of a wooden bed found in the home. The transparent polycarbonate used in our rails and doors give both the caregivers and individual in bed clear view of each other and the surroundings. As with anything custom made, we can provide the mattress, pads, alarms and many other accessories to perfectly fit any custom designed bed.

All custom beds from Durable Bed Solutions, Inc. meet or exceed both the New York State Bed Safety Standards and the FDA Bed Safety Guidance to Reduce Entrapment.