We can all agree that cold is usually a constant predicament when dealing with older adults. In most cases, the elderly still feel cold even on the hottest days. The amount of heat produced in the body tends to reduce as we age due to slow metabolic rates. In addition, the fat layers thin reducing effective insulation. Finally, blood circulation equally decreases as the blood vessels lose elasticity.
As a result, older adults always have the urge to layer up to keep warm. Enter lap blankets for nursing homes. These blankets have different features and usually comes in a range of sizes and shapes. For instance, you can find lap blankets designed for optimal layering when sitting while others are warm and lightweight to effortlessly throw on when stepping out. Lap blankets for the elderly serve this purpose.
What Are Lap Blankets?
Lap blankets are usually compact. They come in different shapes and sizes but the most common characteristic is that they small in size for use when sitting down unlike their regular counterparts. A lap blanket measures around 30 by 39 inches or there about to effortlessly cover your laps and legs to keep you warm and protect you from cold.
In addition, lap blankets are equally lightweight for ease of transportation and packing. Since you might need to carry it around so often, you need something light and portable. The best lap blankets for nursing homes should be lightweight without compromising on comfort and heat retention.
Uses of Lap Blankets for Older Adults
Just like regular blankets, the main use of a lap blanket for older adults is to keep them warm. However, their use goes beyond providing ultimate warmth depending on their features. For instance, weighted lap blankets help relieve anxiety, alleviate joint pains and improve your sleep.
Additionally, lap blankets for the elderly are versatile. You can use these blankets in a recliner, on the couch, wheelchair, and when traveling to keep warm.
The best lap blankets for nursing homes, palliative care centers and hospices usually helps keep seniors comfortable. These blankets lock in heat when the temperatures drop to keep older adults warm. The lightweight ones are ideal for use in cool summer nights. However, depending on what the patient needs, you can use different lap blankets to cater to their needs ranging from thermal, weighted, heated to wheelchair options. These will ensure that your patients are not only warm and comfortable but also at ease.
Most nursing homes use commercial lap blankets to keep older adults warm. When shopping for these lap blankets always go for the machine washable ones for ease and convenient clean up. Also, check out for features that guarantee ease of use. You don’t want to see the elderly struggle with the lap blankets.
Let’s get into a detailed review of the best lap blankets for nursing homes and everything you need to know about them. We also highlight some of the factors you need to consider when shopping for these blankets.
Best Lap Blankets for Nursing Homes
If you are short on time, watch this video on best lap blankets for nursing homes.
Here’s a round-up of the some of the best lap blankets for nursing homes. Let’s hop on!
1. Classy Pal Wheelchair Blanket with Embroidered Flower
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Classy Pal Wheelchair Embroidered Flower Blanket is uniquely designed for older adults on wheelchairs. It’s made with an incredibly soft and lightweight polyester fabric that feels amazing on the skin for all day comfort. This plush blanket for the elderly is equally comfortable and packable which means it’s easy to store. It’s machine washable for easy and convenient clean up. It additionally features secure lap pockets to keep the hands warm in freezing temperatures.
Classy Pal Wheelchair Embroidered Flower Blanket additionally features fleece lining on both sides to give it a more comfortable and luxurious feel. It has adjustable straps for fastening the plush blanket on the legs. The Velcro patches on the other hand help keep the blanket securely in place offering a snug fit without constricting them. What’s more, fastening the blanket ensures that it doesn’t get entangled on the chair’s wheels to avoid accidental falls and injuries.
Classy Pal Wheelchair Blanket is ideal for travelling as it has everything you might need in a travel blanket for older adults. It’s not only super comfortable but also compact enough for ease of packaging when traveling.
2. Alzheimer’s Store Sensory Weighted Lap Pad
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Alzheimer’s Store Sensory Weighted Lap Pad are uniquely designed to not only keep older adults warm but also calm. This lap pad is made of premium quality cotton fabric known to be the most comfortable material. It helps keep the elderly laps toasty warm. Most people love them for their weighted filling that helps reduce heat loss.
Alzheimer’s Store Sensory Weighted Lap Pad weighs about 6lbs. It’s helps keep seniors warm and relaxed as it relieves anxiety as well. You can pair this lap blanket with a throw to reduce joint pain. This lap blanket works well for older adults with sensory process disorder, anxiety, dementia, insomnia and post-traumatic stress disorder among others. It typically checks all the right boxes as one of the best lap blankets for nursing homes.
3. Granny Jo Heavyweight Fleece Lined Lap Blanket
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Granny Jo Heavyweight Fleece Lined Lap Blanket is exceptionally warm thanks to the double-layer fleece lining. This lap blanket is incredibly soft and features an inner layer made of Sherpa fleece with a luxurious mink fleece layer on the outer layer. It’s perfectly sized for wheelchair use. It’s made of polyester with breathability properties to allow free flow of air.
Granny Jo Heavyweight Fleece Lined Lap Blanket additionally features hook and loop straps on the four corners that attaches it to the wheelchair. Using the hook and loop straps help keep the blanket in place so you don’t have to worry about falling, slipping or getting entangled on the wheels. It also has a sizeable pouch at the front to keep your hands warm in cold weather. What’s more, it’s machine washable for easy and convenient clean up.
Granny Jo Heavyweight Fleece Lined Lap Blanket is ideal for older adults living in extreme cold weather. The heavy-duty and double-layer construction ensures this lap blanket locks in heat in the best way possible to keep you warm and comfortable.
4. Granny Jo Lightweight Wheelchair Blanket
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Granny Jo Lightweight Wheelchair Lap Blanket is also ideal for wheelchair use. It has all the essential features including Velcro straps on the sides for securing it on the wheelchair. Fastening this lap blanket on the wheelchair not only helps reduce loss but also prevents any accidental injuries. It additionally features a pouch at the front, perfect for keeping your hands warm.
Granny Jo Lightweight Wheelchair Lap Blanket for older adults feature Velcro patches that you can use to secure it behind the legs for a more comfortable fit. Most importantly, this lap blanket is made of fleece that is super comfortable and feels incredibly soft on the skin. This lap blanket will keep you warm enough without overheating in freezing cold temperatures. Plus, it allows for a range of motion and great mobility since it’s lightweight and flexible. It’s also packable hence can double up as an ideal travel lap blanket for the elderly.
5. Skil-Care Lap Blanket with Hand Warmer
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Skil-Care Lap Blanket is not only cozy but also comfortable to keep your hands, legs and lap toasty warm. It features two hand pockets with sheep skin lining that capture and lock in the heat that your hand emits. It additionally features utility pocket for storing your phone and other essentials like keys, glasses and remote for safety and convenience.
Skil-Care Lap Blanket is universally sized and is covered with an incredibly soft and smooth fabric. It has Velcro straps on the sides for securing the lap blanket on the wheelchair to keep it in place to avoid slipping, falling and entangling on the wheel. It’s one of the best lap blankets for nursing homes as it not only keeps you warm but also ensures your essentials are easily accessible and secure.
6. Sunbeam Heated Throw Blanket
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Sunbeam Heated Throw Blanket is one of the best lap blankets for nursing homes although not quite optimized for wheelchair use. It’s ideal for indoor use. It features both hand and foot pockets to keep you toasty warm especially when the temperatures drop. It’s made of micro-plush fabric that not only feels soft against the skin but also provides ultimate warmth and added comfort.
Sunbeam Heated Throw Blanket additionally features a lighted control unit for high visibility in poor and low light conditions. What’s more, it’s machine washable for easy and convenient clean up. It’s your best bet if you are looking for a lap blanket that caters to older adults to keep them warm and also regulate the amount of heat. It has three different settings that allows the elderly to effortlessly control the heat level.
Are Lap Blankets Important?
By now, you should know that older adults are usually more likely to feel cold. In most cases, they need blankets to layer up and keep warm. These blankets keep the laps and legs toasty warm which are the most exposed parts of the body.
Older adults don’t have to use full-size blankets when feeling cold and this is where the lap blankets come in handy. Lap blankets are lightweight and packable, specially designed to keep you warm.
Types of Lap Blankets
There are different types of lap blankets on the market made with different materials. These blankets are designed to cater to older adults in different settings and environment. Each of these lap blankets are different as they have unique features to serve different purposes.
Here’s an overview of some of the most common lap blankets for nursing homes:
Thermal Lap Blankets
When it comes to keeping older adults warm, thermal lap blankets are quite effective and are equally versatile. You can use a thermal lap blanket as a base layer in extreme cold weather and summer nights alike to keep warm. They are not only warm but also lightweight and breathable to allow free flow of air. Thermal lap blankets will ensure your legs are toasty warm without overheating in all temperatures.
Weighted Lap Blankets
You want a subtle hug when the weather is cold? Then weighted lap blankets are your best bet! These lap blankets will keep you warm in cool summer nights and freezing cold winter. They are perfectly sized to fit in a chair and feature weight filling to enhance relaxation more than their regular counterparts.
Heated Lap Blankets
Heated Lap Blankets are specially designed to cater to older adults in cold areas. Layering only might not be the best idea when the temperatures run low especially during winter. Older adults need a source of heat and this is where the heated lap blankets come in handy. These lap blankets usually provide an additional source of heat through the in-built electric coils.
What’s more, there are heated lap blankets on the market for wheelchair use.
Wheelchair Lap Blankets
Just as the name suggests, wheelchair Lap Blankets are uniquely designed for older adults on wheelchairs. Consequently, these blankets usually take on the form factor of the wheelchair. For instance, the lap blankets feature hook and loop Velcro straps that helps keep them securely in place without slipping, falling or entangling on the wheel.
Other wheelchair lap blankets feature sizeable lap pockets to keep the hands equally warm. What’s more, most of these wheelchair lap blankets can also be used in a recliner and couch too.
Conclusion
The best lap blankets for nursing homes are indispensable regardless of the temperature since older adults are more susceptible to feeling cold. These blankets help keep their extremities warm without breaking a sweat.
Check out our recommendations above for some of the best lap blankets on the market. We narrowed down the options for you from lightweight lap blankets ideal for travelling to heat lap blankets to use during winter.
Happy shopping!
