Bedroom Independence Report 2026
The Bedroom Independence Report
US adults 65+ and family caregivers, fielded November 1, 2026. Aggregate results only.
Summary
Most adults 65 and older in this survey plan to stay in their homes, and most say getting up from bed is easy. A sizable minority disagree. More than a quarter rate getting up in the morning as difficult, and nearly one in four fell or nearly fell getting into or out of bed in the past year.
Among family caregivers, 65% say the person they help fell or nearly fell at the bedside in the past year, and three in four worry about that person getting up alone at night. In the caregiver survey, 45% agree that helping the person out of bed affects their sleep. Separately, 38% agree that they have strained or hurt themselves helping the person move, and 38% agree that they have missed work because of caregiving. The 45% sleep figure uses the full caregiver base (n=400), which includes caregivers who help less often or never with bed transfers (about 12% say never).
Key findings
All percentages are weighted. Survey A covers US adults 65+ (n=600). Survey B covers US adults 40-64 who regularly help someone 65+ (n=400). Both came from an opt-in online panel, so no margin of error is given. Each finding shows how many people answered it.
- 23% of adults 65+ fell or nearly fell getting into or out of bed in the past 12 months (6.6% fell, 16.7% nearly fell). Q4: "In the past 12 months, have you fallen or nearly fallen while getting into or out of bed?" Base: all 65+, n=600.
- 65% of caregivers say the person they help fell or nearly fell at the bedside in the past year, and 27% say that person fell. Q4: "In the past 12 months, have they fallen or nearly fallen while getting into or out of bed?" Base: all caregivers, n=400.
- 77% of caregivers somewhat or strongly agree that they worry about the person they help getting up alone at night. Q8: "I worry about them getting up alone at night." Base n=400.
- Caregivers also report effects on sleep, physical strain and work. 45% agree "Helping them out of bed affects my sleep," 38% agree "I've strained or hurt myself helping them move," and 38% agree "I've missed work because of caregiving." Q8, base n=400 (including caregivers who help less often or never with bed transfers; about 12% say never). Among caregivers who help daily or several times a week (n=254), 57% agree it affects their sleep and 46% agree they've strained or hurt themselves helping the person move.
- 28% of adults 65+ rate getting up from bed in the morning as difficult (4 or 5 on a 1-5 scale). Q2, base n=600. Caregivers rate it difficult for the person they help in 47% of cases (base n=400).
- 59% of adults 65+ somewhat or strongly agree "I would rather not ask family for help getting up." Q8, base n=600.
- Among adults 65+ who live alone, 58% answer "no one" when asked who they would turn to for help getting out of bed if they needed it. Q13, base: lives alone (Q14), n=180. Across all 65+ the figure is 24%.
- 77% of adults 65+ expect to stay in their current home more than five years or "as long as possible." Q10, base n=600. Caregivers are less sure: 43% expect the person they help to move within five years (base n=400).
- One in four caregivers (25%) name needing too much help from family as the most likely reason the person they help would leave home, the most common specific reason. Q12, base n=400. Among adults 65+, the most common answer is "I don't expect to leave" (47%), and needing too much help from family is the most common specific reason (17%).
- 55% of adults 65+ get out of bed two or more times on a typical night. Q3, base n=600. Caregivers report 67.5% for the person they help (n=400).
Findings 1 and 2 are self-reported and caregiver-reported events. They are not clinical fall rates, and they come from two different populations.
Methodology
- Fieldwork: Pollfish online panel, US. Both surveys were fielded November 1, 2026.
- Survey A: US adults aged 65+ (ages 65-91 in the data), n=600 completes, quota 300 women / 300 men. No screener.
- Survey B: US adults aged 40-64 who, in the past 12 months, regularly helped a family member or friend 65+ with everyday activities. Screener S1 qualified "Yes, at least weekly" or "Yes, less than weekly"; 481 screened out ("No" 473, "Prefer not to say" 8). n=400 completes, 200 women / 200 men.
- Quality: Both surveys included an attention check (select "Somewhat agree"). All 1,000 completes in the export passed it.
- Weighting: Results use Pollfish's post-stratification weights on gender and age. Weights range 0.84-1.99 (A) and 0.75-1.46 (B). Effective sample sizes are 556 (A) and 376 (B).
- Precision and limits: We do not report a margin of error. Pollfish is an opt-in online panel, not a random sample of the population, so a sampling margin of error does not apply. Treat gaps of a few points as noise, and read small subgroups with care (for example lives alone, n=180, and daily or several-times-a-week helpers, n=254).
- Limitations: Pollfish is an opt-in online panel, so this is not a probability sample. Adults 65+ who take online surveys may be healthier and more independent than the 65+ population overall, which could understate difficulty in Survey A. Survey B answers are caregivers' reports about someone else. Quotas covered gender (300 women / 300 men in Survey A, 200 / 200 in Survey B). There was no region quota and no region weight, so the regional mix was not controlled. Survey A came out South 226, Midwest 143, Northeast 128, West 103. Survey B came out South 185, Northeast 80, Midwest 73, West 62. Weighting covers gender and age only.
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Question wording: We report the answers as collected. These items have wording that could push answers one way, so readers can judge them for themselves:
- A5 and B5 ask about putting off getting up because it felt "difficult or unsafe". That joins two ideas in one question, and the topic itself suggests a problem. B5 also asks caregivers to guess ("Do you think they ever...").
- A8 and B8 are agree/disagree statements, which some people tend to agree with. All four B8 statements describe a problem ("affects my sleep", "strained or hurt myself", "worry about them", "missed work"). In A8, two of three describe a problem. Findings 3, 4 and 6 come from these items.
- A4 and B4 count "nearly fell" together with "fell". "Nearly fell" is the respondent's own judgment. Findings 1 and 2 report both parts.
- A12 and B12 list five reasons for leaving home, and four of them are about safety, help or bathroom and bed use. Reasons outside this list, such as a health change or wanting to live near family, could only be given as "Other". Finding 9 comes from this item.
- The Survey B screener lists "getting in and out of bed" as an example of help, so caregivers knew the topic before the main questions.
- Data release: We publish aggregate results only. Pollfish's researcher terms give the researcher ownership of the survey answers, but the profile data Pollfish adds (for example zip code, income and education) stays Pollfish's property, and researchers must not let respondents be identified. The respondent-level file will not be published.
- Sponsor: EzLift Bed, which sells sleep-to-stand and lift beds, commissioned this survey. EzLift wrote the questions; Pollfish fielded the survey. Product information: ezliftbed.com.
Full topline (weighted %)
Selected toplines from both surveys. Complete question-by-question tables (weighted and unweighted, with base n) are available to journalists on request at the press contact below.
| Measure (weighted %) | 65+ (n=600) | Caregivers (n=400) |
|---|---|---|
| Getting up from bed difficult (Q2, 4-5) | 28.0 | 47.1 |
| Fell or nearly fell at the bedside, past 12 months (Q4) | 23.3 | 64.9 |
| Fell (Q4) | 6.6 | 26.9 |
| Put off getting up at night, often/sometimes (Q5) | 11.3 | 66.2 |
| Out of bed 2+ times a typical night (Q3) | 54.9 | 67.5 |
| Uses nothing to help get in/out of bed (Q6) | 82.0 | 14.1 |
| Plans to stay >5 years or as long as possible (Q10) | 76.9 | 50.4 |
| "Getting out of bed" as top independence trigger (Q1) | 13.6 | 9.1 |
| Top independence trigger (Q1) | Driving 37.5 | Showering/bathing 22.6 |
Additional nets (weighted %)
| Measure | Survey | Weighted % | Base n |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q8 agree: I would rather not ask family for help getting up | A 65+ | 59.0 | 600 |
| Q8 agree: I worry about falling at night | A 65+ | 22.6 | 600 |
| Q13 "No one" among those living alone | A 65+ | 58.4 | 180 |
| Q13 "No one" (all) | A 65+ | 24.4 | 600 |
| Q10 expect move within 5 years (<1y or 1-5y) | B caregivers | 42.8 | 400 |
| Q8 agree: Helping them out of bed affects my sleep | B caregivers | 45.4 | 400 |
| Q8 agree: I've strained or hurt myself helping them move | B caregivers | 37.9 | 400 |
| Q8 agree: I worry about them getting up alone at night | B caregivers | 76.9 | 400 |
| Q8 agree: I've missed work because of caregiving | B caregivers | 38.2 | 400 |
| Q8 sleep agree among help daily/several x week | B caregivers | 56.9 | 254 |
| Q8 strained agree among help daily/several x week | B caregivers | 46.1 | 254 |
| Q12 needing too much help from family (most likely leave reason) | B caregivers | 24.9 | 400 |
| Q6 Nothing (no aid used) | A 65+ | 82.0 | 600 |
Sponsor disclosure
EzLift Bed sells sleep-to-stand and lift beds and sponsored this survey. EzLift wrote the questions. Pollfish fielded the survey on its opt-in online panel. This page reports aggregate survey answers. It does not claim that any product prevents falls, treats injury, or replaces clinical care.
How to cite
EzLift Bed. The Bedroom Independence Report. Pollfish online panel surveys of US adults 65+ (n=600) and US family caregivers aged 40-64 (n=400), fielded November 1, 2026. Weighted results. https://ezliftbed.com/pages/bedroom-independence-report
Press contact
For the full report, topline tables, or questions about methods: Jack Hollingsworth, jack@ezliftbed.com.