Proper Density Foam For 4 Inch Thick 30" High Lift Recliner Back?

[PS85]

What is the proper density foam for making a 4 inch thick pillow that goes on the back, not bottom, of a lift-recliner chair?  My 73 year old sister came out of the hospital/nursing home barely able to walk and requiring frequent elevation for her feet,  and a lift chair was necessary quickly, which we bought.  With work and practice, she is improving rapidly. She is only 5 ft 3" tall so the seat of the chair is too deep for her. At the present time, we have a blanket on the chair so that when she sits, I, (her brother), get behind the recliner, get hold of the blanket and tug it, (and her),  back so her butt contacts the back of the chair.

The system works all right and I don't even mind it, but we want to point her toward self-sufficiency as quickly as possible and so the ability to leave the chair and use her walker  to go someplace is a step in the right direction.  As her recovery continues, she should eventually be able to walk without a walker or cane.

To get the sizing right I bought three of the following 22" by 2" square pads from Walmart. This is just for sizing the distance from her spine to the chair back, of course the foam will have be longer than 24" high-Walmart sells longer pieces. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Morning-Glory-22-x-22-x-2-Regular-Density-Foam-Cushion/44106465
The proper size for her seems to be two of them. making a 4" pillow, but she said they made the back too hard.  I suspect it might be the bunching since I didn't take the cushions out of the plastic bag and they are a couple of inches too  wide to properly sit in the chair.

We have a genuine fabric store nearby and I suspect they have higher density foam.  My sister lives in the Chicago area so I'm sure a store is neaarby which carries upholstery foam if this store does not.  Thing is, this is seemingly medium density and she is already saying it's too stiff, albeit because of bunching.

The thought occurred to me that perhaps medium density or lighter foam is used to upholstery to contact the back, the heavier stuff for cushions you sit on.  Just a guess, I don't know.

I have no idea how to sew, but this is an emergency situation and I am looking to jerry-rig something up quickly for my sister's comfort and recovery.  For what it's worth, I'm pretty hands-on, I work on my own car often and my hobby is building loudspeakers.  I'm thinking maybe some sheet plastic or duct tape, (it comes in different colors if I want to get fancy) will do for a temporary cover until we see how it works.  If it does work, then we'll worry about giving it a nice cover.

So my main concern is questions about what density foam to use for the pillow.   Any other suggestions you folks might have for my jerry-rig would be sincerely appreciated as well.

[gene]

https://www.joann.com/6oz-x-48in-x-30-yd-poly-by-the-yard/9442997.html#q=polyester%2Bbatting&start=1

You could get one yard of polyester batting. It's 36" x 48". Cut it in half and wrap one piece of your foam twice. This will give you a soft 4".

Put it in a pillow case to hold it together.

Hope this helps.

gene

[PS85]

Thank you for your reply.  I ruled out soft material like that because when my sister sits down,I see several inches of space between her butt and the back of the chair.  It seems to be about 4".  If I use 4 inches of soft material, it will compress to 1½ inches or less, and so she still has a bad situation.  That's why I wanted upholstery material-it compresses a little, but not that much.

Thanks for the advice as to where that is available, though, I might well use it in addition to 3 or 4 inches of upholstery foam just to add a little extra softness.

[kodydog]

I might well use it in addition to 3 or 4 inches of upholstery foam just to add a little extra softness.

I think this is what gene is saying. Use smaller foam and wrap it with two layers of Dacron. This will make the foam feel much softer.

Also you have plenty of options as far as firmness in the foam. A local upholsterer well be much more help than the folks at Walmart.

I could throw some density numbers at you but it seem like each supplier grades their foam different. For instance my 1827 is a medium soft foam. Another upholsterer may not know what that means.

Its really tricky figuring out the comfort level of each individual. All you can do is keep trying different foams with different firmness.

You are truly blessed for helping you sister in this difficult time.

   

[baileyuph]

You have 4 inches to fill.

If you use 1 inch or even 2 inch foam and layer soft dacron over one side of the foam to a
softness the lady finds acceptable to lean against, (as has been suggested/implied to be put into a
pillow) it will get softer if more dacron (there are other materials) is added to the 2 inch (softer than
a 4 in. foam).

So, use less foam and more dacron to go softer and the opposite to go harder.

For your benefit, backrest pillows in furniture today - some have no foam (a lot matter of fact).

Surface softness is the objective in this case.  Build the surface softness with a dacron like material and

adjust the foam thickness to accomplish the 4 inches in the pillow.

Think surface as the major dimension and merely fill to meet the total fill space required.

Hope the lady progresses rapidly - I am sure she appreciates your efforts.

Doyle

[SteveA]

Those chairs are amazing - take the extra insurance if you still can because they are difficult to repair.  Could you try building a sandwich of say 3 inch foam # 35 with a one inch foam # 27 glued on top ?
Glad she is doing better - all the best
SA