Hospital beds have come a long way in the past few years. These helpful and feature packed tools help make the lives of both patients and caregivers easier and much safer. However, making the decision about which hospital bed for your home or long term care facility is best is not easy. That is the reason why our team has compiled a list of 3 important questions to ask yourself as you start the journey of buying a hospital bed for a loved one.
What size hospital bed do you need?
Most home care beds come with a standard sleep deck dimension of 36″W x 80″W. These beds make up more than 90% of the home hospital bed supply in the market. They are perfect for people weighing under 250 lbs and measuring under 6 ft. If the person is taller than 6ft, they may benefit from a longer bed – with extendable bed lengths to 84″ or even 88″. Additionally, if the person is heavier than 250 lbs, they may be interested in a wider bed that will provide more space and comfort to rest on and a higher weight capacity.
Do you need a standard-height home hospital bed or an ultra-low hospital bed?
All fully electric home hospital beds are height-adjustable. However, some models can go lower than beds with standard height ranges. If patients are likely to roll off care beds at night or have cognitive challenges that could make it challenging for them to stay in bed all night, an ultra low hospital bed may be a good solution. Some beds in the market can be lowered to as little as 7″. When a patient is placed so close to the ground, the chances of them becoming injured as a result of a fall are minimized which the medical community highly recommends.
What kind of rails do you need for the hospital bed?
Your medical bed can be used with half or quarter side rails, with full (or 3/4 length) rails or with no rails at all. If the user is able to independently enter or leave the bed, then a set of half rails could be ideal. Why? Half rails, or even quarter rails, are provided for safety, but they can also help the person reposition themselves in the electric hospital bed. Full rails are often used for individuals with little to no mobility
– especially for people who are likely to try to exit their bed in the middle of the night and risk injury. Lastly, some facilities do not allow for bed rails on their residents’ full electric beds – in that case this piece of medical equipment can be used
without them.
These are just some of the questions you should be answering as you start to look at hospital beds. In future articles, we will look at bed accessories and options that can enhance your experience. It is also important to consider where you purchase your bed – as a brick and mortar company with excellent customer service will stand behind their product and provide service or troubleshooting if necessary.
