How to make Mom's mattress more comfortable?

Get hospice to come and check that the variable pressure air mattress has the right settings for her.

[To be honest, I'd be a bit cross. They should have done that when they brought it.]

The trouble with putting anything more than a soft sheet or two over those vile vinyl covers is that you defeat the object of the variable pressure feature. The truth is that while these mattresses are undeniably best for protecting skin integrity, that doesn't mean what we creature-comfort loving normal people all mean by "comfortable." They do take a bit of getting used to.

If your mother has specific areas of discomfort (e.g. prominent vertebrae) then it becomes a question of correct positioning and repositioning. Is there a skin integrity plan in place?

Try a really thick long body towel just in case it gets urine on it.

Definitely buy a mattress topper, I have "saved" many a bad mattress by using them! I like the natural latex ones on Amazon because many memory ones have a "sink in" feeling that would make it hard for your Mom to turn in. Here is one that I use in my home. If your Mom is a lightweight, perhaps a 1" would be sufficient, not sure. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UYG8YB2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

I put a waffle pad over the alternating air mattress on my Mom's bed.
It is more comfortable but still offers the benefit of alternating the pressure.
Also, you can adjust how hard or full the air is in the mattress.

At the advanced age of 94, your family member probably has very little fat remaining under her thin skin, and muscles have shrunken a lot. Some as need OTC medication for comfort may help, as can using something on a regular basis. Not necessarily morphine, though it can be used for that purpose. Ask your hospice nurse.
As a retired hospice nurse, I always told my patients/families that there was only 1 mistake they could make..the mistake was failing to call hospice when they had a question!

I want to say that all of the equipment provided by hospice is rental equipment and it has all been previously used, even the mattresses. Not replacing worn out items benefits the rental company. If you don't speak up they won't know to do anything.

Our experience was the bed sucked, it should have been disposed of before my sister got it. Her oxygen concentrator needed to be replaced. These were the only two DME items hospice provided. Obviously the rental company doesn't check the equipment. Shame on our government for not having procedures in place to ensure this doesn't happen at the most trying time in a families existence.

I had to get ugly about replacing the mattress and I had a long talk with the delivery man, so I know this is stand operating procedure.

I can't imagine the suffering needlessly endured by the people that can't say it hurts me. So we must all speak up.

I tried a similar air mattress device with my mother but she hated the way it felt. It had baffles that would fill with air in different sequences to take the pressure off different places. She actually had a class 1 bedsore when she was released from rehab which I managed to get under control. The air mattress was a good idea but it wasn’t comfortable for her so I had to find something else. I went to Kohls and purchased a twin size Serta mattress pad. It is blue, fairly thick, and was a little pricey. But, it has worked wonders. I also flip the hospital bed mattress at least once a month as well as the pad so they don’t get mashed in one shape from pressure. Don’t know if you are able to get your Mom up out of bed or if she is too weak. The mattress topper, turning/changing positions every hour, and getting her out of the bed into a chair all help with circulation and pressure relief.

Get a Tempurpedic type mattress topper. Eggcrate foam is not dense enough nor is other types of foam. Basically, you should be able to sit on it and not feel lumps underneath.

Buy a sheep's skin from Amazon. It has done wonders for my dad's bottom

LMRLMR: You need to speak to your Hospice nurse and tell that individual what you've written here. They should be able to assist you.

Any discomfort is better than developing bed sores. They never heal and are terribly uncomfortable. Furthermore, they get infected frequently.

My sisters first bed from hospice was junk and needed to be swapped out.

Tell them to get her a better mattress.

Call your Hospice nurse ASAP to discuss. The purpose of the air mattress is to relieve pressure points. I was told NOT to add a mattress topper because it would render the air mattress ineffective in redistributing weight. There is a pressure adjustment on the air mattress; changing the firmness/softness setting might help. Also, there are several types of air mattresses. We had the one with individual 'pillow' pockets rather than long tubes and it was great! I raised or lowered the head of the bed every 2 hours for his comfort. And to allow Dad to lay comfortably on his side, I purchased a maternity pillow (because it cradled his body) which alleviated his lower back pressure. If that doesn't work, ask if the equipment (mattress or bed frame) can be changed.

An egg crate mattress topper may help too. It also helps prevent bed sores.

Lucid memory foam or a good Cotten mattress pad

Talk to the Hospice Nurse. It is possible that there is a flaw in the mattress.
But there are pads that you can use to even it out a bit but make sure that the pad that you get does not restrict the movement or the airflow.
AND make sure that the topper you get is washable or that you get a washable waterproof cover for it.

Would a 2 inch memory foam topper help?