Warning Signs
The Seat Cushion Sags Without a Sound: How to Spot the Early Flat Spot Before the Chair Shows It
A cushion usually loses its shape in small steps that are easy to miss, so check it on a schedule with simple marks and a few plain signs before she is sitting on a flat spot all day.
A seat cushion does not fail with a bang. The foam loses its spring a little at a time, the cover wears thin in one place, and the cushion slides a half inch to the side each week until the chair seems to be pulling her off center. Because she sits in the same spot most of the day, the change happens under her, where you cannot see it. This article is about catching the early version, while the fix is still simple.
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Signs to look for
Press the middle of the cushion with the flat of your hand. Does it spring back to full height, or does it stay low? Look for a dip where she sits, a lower edge on one side, or a cover that has gone shiny and slick. Notice whether she slides forward, shifts often, or asks to be repositioned more than she used to. Check whether the cushion sits level with the seat or has crept toward the back. Any one of these can be normal wear, but several together mean the cushion has changed shape.
A simple check you can run weekly
Put a strip of masking tape along the outline of the cushion on the seat, so you can see when it shifts. Press the center and note whether the spring returns. Take a photo of the cushion from the same angle each week. A photo makes slow change visible when memory cannot. Put this check on the day sheet with an owner name beside it, so it happens on the same day every week.
What goes wrong and what to compare
Foam breaks down under weight, covers wear through at the seams, and a cushion that was fitted to an older chair can drift on a new one. When you look at a replacement, compare the thickness, the firmness, the cover material, and whether the cushion has a fixed or removable cover. Ask the seller whether the cushion is meant for her chair type and how long you have to return it if it does not sit right.
Tell the people who see her
Share your photos and notes with her therapist or doctor, and describe what you see without guessing at the cause. They can tell you whether the cushion should change now or whether the chair itself needs a look. Do not rely on a single feel test to decide the cushion is fine. Make the weekly check part of the routine so the sag is caught in the first month, not the fourth.