Personalising Pressure Care: Making Alternating Air Mattresses More Comfortable

Alternating (active) air mattresses can protect skin.
They can also feel noisy, cold, or just “too busy”.

If the person in the bed cannot sleep or feels unsafe, therapy will not be used as intended. Comfort is not a luxury. It’s part of effective pressure care.

What makes alternating air feel uncomfortable?

Common complaints are very consistent:

• “The pump hums all night.”
• “It squeaks and rustles.”
• “It keeps moving, I can’t relax.”
• “I feel cold on it.”

Behind those comments are four main issues:

• Pump noise – Fan hum, changes in speed, and alarms disturb light sleepers.
• Rustling plastics – Air cells and covers can creak or rub as they move.
• Constant motion – Some people feel like the bed is shifting under them.
• Cold and condensation – Cold air and surfaces against a warm body can make skin feel damp and vulnerable.

Good design and smart setup can reduce all four.

Start with the person in the bed

Before touching the pump:

• Check skin and risk – current injuries, history, tissue tolerance.
• Understand mobility – can they move or help with transfers?
• Ask about sleep, pain, and anxiety – noise, light, motion sensitivity.
• Consider cognition – can they understand what the mattress is doing?
• Note the environment – home, RACF, acute; night noise, routines.

Define “comfortable enough” in plain language, for example:

• “Can fall asleep and stay asleep for a few hours.”
• “Feels stable when sitting up or being moved.”
• “Can tolerate alternating mode most of the night.”

That’s your goal. The pump is how you get there.

How Elata personalises comfort

1. Modes that match the moment

Elata systems provide:

• Alternating (ALT) – main therapeutic mode.
• Constant Low Pressure / static – all cells at one low pressure, often feels calmer.
• Max / firm – time-limited firm surface for transfers and procedures.

Use ALT as your default. Use static to help settle anxious or light sleepers, or during care tasks. Use Max only when you need a very stable platform, then return to ALT.

2. Comfort settings that actually fit the person

On the pump face you see five comfort buttons (1–5).

Behind that, via clinician login, you choose a firmness band:

• Extra Soft
• Soft
• Normal
• Firm
• Extra Firm

Example:

On a Normal band, a very lightweight person still finds “1” too firm.
The clinician logs in, drops the band to Soft or Extra Soft.
Now “3” might feel ideal, with “2” and “1” available for bad pain days.

The bedside stays simple. The range behind it is tuned to the person.

Once it’s right, the lock button reduces accidental changes. Carers can work confidently around the bed without worrying they’ll “break the settings”.

3. Support when the backrest is up

Sitting up increases sacral and ischial loading and often feels “jammed”.

Elata TiltSense™ on the EP20AU pump senses backrest angle. As it rises, the pump automatically increases support in the backrest zone. When it comes down, pressures return to the previous setting.

Less fiddling. More stable comfort in upright positions.

4. Calmer movement, less “busy” feeling

Two things decide how movement feels:

• how much of the body moves at once
• how often it moves

With Elata you can:

• choose 1-in-2 or 1-in-4 cycles
   - 1-in-4 moves smaller sections and often feels gentler
• extend cycle time from 10 minutes to 15, 20, or 25 minutes

Figure 2: 1-in-2 and 1-in-4 cell configuration

For people who dislike movement, a 1-in-4 pattern with a longer cycle can feel much more settled.

Elata AdaptiveMode™ then refines this further, optimising pressure and cycle response in real time. The mattress works with the person, not against them.

Tackling sound, rustle, cold, and light

Whisper-quiet pump and calmer alarms

Elata pumps are designed to run whisper quiet in normal use, with smoother airflow changes to avoid constant ramping noise.

On the EP20AU pump:

• Elata PowerGuard™ keeps therapy running for up to twelve hours in a power outage, then moves to a safe low-power mode.
• Elata SafeHold™ then stabilises cell pressures and safely powers down.

That stability reduces sudden alarm events and noisy full re-inflations at night. 

Figure 3: Elata EP20AU pump indicators

Through clinician login, you can also:

• dim pump lights
• reduce button sounds
• and use alarm mute once carers have looked at the status lights and identified the problem (for example low pressure, disconnection, low battery).

Safer for the person. Less stressful for the room.

Quieter cells and better microclimate

Elata air cells are made from waterproof, noise-reducing TPU, so they move with less squeak and rustle than traditional plastics.

The system is also designed to recycle air, reducing constant draws of cold room air. That can:

• soften the “cold burst” sensation
• reduce condensation where warm skin meets a cooler surface
• help protect already fragile skin

Add the right cover and simple, smooth bedding, and the mattress becomes part of a stable microclimate, not a source of chill and damp.

Clinician login: control where it belongs

The clinician login connects a health professional directly to an Elata powered pump using a computer or phone.

From that interface they can:

• see all key settings at a glance
• adjust modes, pressures, cycle type and cycle time
• set the firmness band so the bedside 1–5 buttons sit in the right range
• tweak lights and button sounds

Two big benefits:

• Clinicians get precise but intuitive control over therapy and comfort.
• Families and carers don’t have to be pressure-care experts. Once the system is set up and locked, they can focus on care and connection, knowing the mattress is doing its job quietly in the background.

That’s exactly what Elata aims for: clinically smart in the background, simple and reassuring at the bedside. 

Figure 4: Elata Clinician Login

Small bedside habits that make a big difference

Even with the right technology, the basics still matter:

• Explain what they’ll feel.
  “You might notice a slow rise and fall. If it feels too strong, too soft, too cold, or keeps you awake, tell us—we can adjust it.”
• Keep layers simple.
  One correct cover, one sheet, then blankets. No foam toppers over alternating air.
• Position well.
  Use pillows and wedges as needed to assist with positioning. Alternation doesn’t replace repositioning.
• Review after the first night.
  Ask about noise, movement, light, and temperature. Adjust if needed.

Precision in care, built for life

Pressure care is not about “staying on alternating air at all costs”. It’s about:

• the right surface
• set up the right way
• at the right time
• for that specific person

Elata® exists to make that simpler.

• Elata ID™ to match pump and mattress.
• Elata TiltSense™, Elata AdaptiveMode™, Elata SafeHold™, and Elata PowerGuard™ to keep therapy stable and responsive. 
• Clinician login, comfort bands, lock and whisper-quiet hardware to keep it all liveable.

Quick links: 

Learn more about the Elata range: Explore Elata 

Check out Elata's Alternating Air Systems: Alternating Air Systems