Healthcare system patients and staff value existing overbed tables for their top surfaces. Other overbed table features and functions present opportunities for improvement in design, durability, and usability. These refinements extend to the narrowly represented domestic overbed table market. AboveBoard is an adjustable in-home swivel overbed table. Its lightweight and user friendly design incorporates lighting and recessed cup holders. AboveBoard acts as a piece of assistive furniture; it uses the bed’s mattress for stability, providing optimal support to users maneuvering in and out of bed. AboveBoard allows seniors and people of limited physical capabilities improved mobility and increased autonomy. In order for individuals to safely return home after a hospital stay, they must demonstrate competence in transferring themselves on and off the toilet, out of a chair, and in and out of bed. Moving in and out of bed can prove to be particularly difficult for individuals experiencing complex or multiple health conditions, or are part of the aging population. Having a device that would help people complete these transfers safely at home with a consistent level of assistance needed as they progress can cut back on falls, hospital readmissions, and more medical costs to the hospital and the individual. Individuals requiring minimal to moderate levels of assistance stabilizing themselves at the edge of bed or to bear weight through would benefit from this product, as it can support up to 300 lbs and offers flexibility of use accommodating individuals of a variety of heights, weights, and grip strength.
AboveBoard
Thomas Jefferson University
Julia Anthony, Sarah Blaise, and Gaige DeHaven