What To Know Before Buying A Hospital Bed

Whether you&#;re a current hospital bed owner or are considering getting one, picking the right equipment is essential. As the medical needs of the person using it change over time, you may need to make additional purchases like upgrading your bed frame and mattress or buying accessories to help maintain their hygiene, mobility, safety, and comfort.

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Before buying hospital bed equipment, it&#;s crucial to carefully consider the needs of the person who will be using it. What safety features do you need? Will your patient or loved one need side rails to help keep them in bed during the night or to hold onto while getting in and out of bed? Or is having side rails on the bed more likely to lead to them getting injured? Is it better to invest in a trapeze bar, an overhead bar that allows patients to lift themselves by pulling on it? Is it better to invest in a bed and mattress that can be remotely lowered to the ground or tilted? There&#;s a lot to consider.

Your Hospital Bed or Mattress May Not Be Compatible With Certain Types of Equipment

Some mattresses, even hospital bed mattresses, may not function as intended with certain hospital beds. If you buy a specific hospital bed frame that is designed to shift or bend in a particular way, you must pair it with a hospital bed mattress intended to accommodate these functions. For example, suppose you have a hospital bed designed to do specific tilts involving the mattress bending in its center. In that case, conventional mattresses might not be suitable, as they could damage the mattress or harm the user.

If you are a person with excess weight, you may need a specialized bariatric bed if your weight lying down exceeds 250 pounds. Even if you have a high-quality bariatric mattress, you may also need a bariatric hospital bed frame, or your bed will not be able to support you comfortably and safely.

In addition to mattresses, some hospital bed accessories may not be compatible with every hospital bed, depending on the physical dimensions and features of the bed. Some hospital bed grip rails may be designed so that they won&#;t fit on some hospital beds. If you decide to get a mobility aid like a trapeze, you should make sure that your bed is designed to allow you to install such overhead fixtures safely.

When you&#;re shopping for hospital bed equipment, it&#;s essential to make sure it works as intended. Be sure to do your research before you make a purchase.

Hospital Bed Mattresses Have Features That May Remove the Need for Accessories

Before you spend the money on expensive hospital bed accessories, consider that you may be able to buy a hospital bed mattress that includes specific features. If you are in the market for a hospital bed, shopping for mattresses that have specific features may save you from having to spend more money on accessories as your medical needs change over time.

Hospital bed mattresses often have built-in features that make some hospital accessories unnecessary. A hospital bed mattress that comes with progressive laminated foams removes the need for certain mattress covers. Buying a mattress that includes low air loss or alternating pressure features eliminates the need for a mattress topper that includes these features. If you need help getting in and out of bed, it may be better to invest in a hospital bed that can lower to the ground using a remote control than a regular mattress and a proprietary step stool. It might be safer, too.

Suppose you have fine motor issues or are otherwise unable to use your hands to operate a remote. In that case, some hospital beds are compatible with voice-activated Environmental Control Units (ECUs) like Google Home and Amazon Echo. If you are concerned that having a hospital bed at home won&#;t mesh with your home decor, many home hospital beds are designed so that the wheels, supports, and other machinery are concealed, so there is no need to buy decorative hospital bed accessories to make your hospital bed look more like a conventional bed.

Make Sure You Have Room For Hospital Bed Equipment

Hospital beds, like regular beds, take up a lot of space. Unlike traditional beds, they may require extra space, particularly if you plan on getting a bed that can raise, lower, or tilt itself. If you plan on getting additional equipment, you need to plan to have space for that as well. 

Using a hospital bed in a room that is too cramped can lead to mobility issues or even serious injuries. Whatever equipment you buy, make sure it doesn&#;t obstruct any exits to the room, create tripping hazards, make it difficult to get in and out of bed, or make it difficult to administer medical treatment to the person who is using it. 

It&#;s also a good idea to try to anticipate not only your current needs, or the needs of your patient or loved one, but your future needs as well. Suppose you or the person you care for has mobility issues or a medical condition that may result in mobility issues. In that case, it&#;s probably a good idea to invest in a bed that includes grip rails or overhead trapeze bars, or at least one compatible with them. If you don&#;t need equipment like this right now, it&#;s good to at least verify that the equipment you want to buy will fit in the space you intend to keep it in before purchasing. For example, an overhead trapeze bar may require more vertical space and support than you currently have in your bedroom. Be sure to measure the dimensions of the room in which your hospital bed will be kept. It may also be helpful to draw a diagram to scale to figure out where and how to install new equipment.

Before buying hospital bed equipment, talk to your doctor about your current medical state. They may have suggestions for what type of equipment may be helpful to you or the person you care for. Your vendor may also be able to help you decide what equipment may be beneficial to you.

Some Hospital Bed Accessories Can Make It Easier to Clean and Maintain a Hospital Bed Mattress

Cleaning and maintenance are part of owning any bed, but it is especially important for owners of home hospital beds. They say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. A similar principle is true for keeping your hospital bed clean; it&#;s easier to prevent problems with a hospital bed through regular cleaning and maintenance. Some accessories can make the process easier. 

Mattress toppers and covers make it easy to clean the mattress. The more time we spend in bed, the more organic matter that our bodies naturally shed over time ends up in our mattresses and sheets, promoting the growth of bacteria and mold. Mattress toppers, pads, and covers can prevent this by absorbing these materials before they can seep into your hospital bed mattress, and they&#;re designed to be easily removed for cleaning. Table trays make it easier to have meals in bed while keeping crumbs and other food particles from dirtying your bedsheets.

Some hospital bed equipment can make it easier to clean and bathe people who are bedridden without dirtying or soaking their mattresses. Patient lifting systems like gait belts, which is a belt placed around a patient&#;s waist so caregivers can use it to pull up or balance a patient, can make it easier to lift a bedridden patient out of bed so their sheets can be changed or to clean their mattresses. Overhead trapeze bars can also be helpful, provided the patient has the physical ability to pull themselves up.

Installing Hospital Bed Equipment Is Physically Demanding

Installing a hospital bed in your home is supposed to make things easier for the people who use them, their caretakers, and their families. That said, the process of installing new hospital bed equipment can be an involved, physically taxing process that may be more difficult than you might think.

If you decide to install hospital bed equipment yourself, be sure to ask your vendor plenty of questions to make sure you have what you need before it arrives at your home, the home of your loved one, or at your care facility.

Keep in mind that the work doesn&#;t end with installation. Hospital bed equipment and accessories all require regular maintenance to ensure they function as safely and efficiently as they should. 

Consider hiring professional help. Talk to your vendor about what, if any, services they offer. It may cost more to hire professionals to install a new feature on a hospital bed, but it may save you time, stress, and even prevent physical injuries.

If you have questions and want to reach out to the mattress experts at TransferMaster, please contact us.

This article will go over the options you have when looking to get a hospital bed at home. There are a range of reasons people may require a hospital style medical bed to provide care in their home including:

• Upgrading a current bed.
• Those recently discharged from hospital.
• Community care
• Respite care
• Hospice care
• Moving in/out of care homes.

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In of these situations, there are 2 main ways to go about getting a medical bed for your home.

Each of these options has positive and negative elements and below, we&#;ll go into what they are.

You can also get a free NHS hospital bed at home with the recommendation of a healthcare professional, we&#;ll go over how to do that here as well.

Is a Medical Bed at Home Worth It?

In the UK, 1 in 3 hospital beds are occupied by a patient who is medically fit to discharge.

These patients remain in hospital beds even if they don&#;t need to due to the ongoing the lack of appropriate care equipment when they are discharged to their home.

In any healthcare facility, it is important to ensure there is a good patient flow to ensure things run efficiently. This is especially the case in hospitals when patients are &#;fit to discharge&#;.

The slow discharge of medically fit patients also makes it difficult for inpatients to get into the hospital unable to transfer patients and get back on the road. This is what led to the long queues of ambulances outside UK hospitals seen in summer .

Lack of appropriate healthcare equipment in the community is one of the many reasons for the ongoing backlogs in NHS hospitals across the UK.

&#;The NHS has a shortage of hospital beds, with occupancy rates consistently exceeding safe levels.&#; &#; British Medical Association.

&#;We have older and disabled [people] with complex needs, yet social care capacity has reduced, and we have 50,000 fewer paid carers,&#; &#; Sarah McClinton, president of Association of Directors of Adult Social Services.

Hospital Bed | Features You Can Expect

Hospital beds contain many features you wouldn&#;t usually expect to find on a bed in someone&#;s home.

Modern hospital beds are very adaptable to patient needs; designed for safety and to facilitate medical treatment by the NHS and healthcare professionals, they act as a comfortable flat, level surface when sleeping, and provide supportive head or foot elevation with their electric profiling base.

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit electric hospital beds for sale.

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Electric, adjustable beds can have a range of features to benefit users:

 

The ability to rotate and turn into a chair bed to provide moving and handling assistance for elderly, disabled, bariatric or otherwise low mobility users

However, there are occasions where hospital-style beds are required for home use.

People with long-term health conditions, recently discharged hospital patients, palliative care patients at home rather than in a hospice and individuals with low mobility can all require assistive equipment that provides more support and functionality than a standard bed.

How To Get A Hospital Style Bed At Home in the UK:

In the UK, anyone can buy a hospital-style bed to use at home. You don&#;t need a prescription or a recommendation from a doctor.

However, hospital beds come in all kinds of sizes, makes, and models. There&#;s no one set standard &#; different types of bed exist to suit different patient needs.

So, if you think you or a relative would benefit from having a hospital bed at home, we recommend speaking to a professional. They can make sure you get a bed that meets your care requirements.

There are two main ways to access professional advice on hospital beds for home:

Getting a Free Hospital Bed from the NHS or Social Care Services:

In the UK, you can get a free hospital bed from the NHS, social services or your local council if you meet the criteria. Meeting this criteria requires an assessment or a decision from your GP and could take some time.

An assessment can be done by an occupational therapist in your home, or your GP can make a decision on medical grounds.

What About Loaning a Hospital Bed from the NHS?

If you only need a hospital bed temporarily, a community nurse or other social healthcare professional can arrange for a one to be supplied from an NHS equipment loan store.

This method may be preferable for anyone recently discharged from hospital but would require a hospital style bed to aid their support continued care and rehabilitation at home.

Downside of a Free Hospital Bed From the NHS:

A potential downside to this and any method that can get you a free hospital bed from the NHS is that you may have to wait a while to receive your profiling bed.

Going through the application processes can take a long time; you also won&#;t get much of an input on the bed&#;s appearance. Hospital beds supplied through social care services are often bulkier and more clinical looking than hospital beds you can buy for yourself.

This is why some people choose to buy a hospital style bed from a retailer like Vivid Care, you can make sure your new hospital bed is delivered to you quickly.

NHS Criteria For A Hospital Bed At Home

In the UK, there are no specific NHS criteria for getting a hospital bed at home. But if a carer needs to perform certain hygiene and care tasks, then a GP, or a social care worker can arrange for a hospital bed to be put in someone&#;s home.

These tasks need a profiling bed with more features & functions than normal beds. Ask a community nurse for advice on the best way of making you comfortable.

The table below outlines some of the NHS care & hygiene tasks that might require a using a hospital bed at home.

Buy a Hospital Bed From a Mobility Equipment Retailer:

For many people, buying a hospital bed direct from a mobility equipment supplier is the best and fastest way to support at-home patient care.

By ordering a bed for yourself, you also have more control over the kind of bed that you get. You can opt for  single divan style adjustable bed bed, or double profiling beds for couples.

We recommend going directly to a mobility equipment supplier if you:

• Want fast hospital bed delivery
• Want to choose the design and look
• Don&#;t have an occupational therapist
• Don&#;t meet the requirements to get a bed through the NHS

Is Any Other Financial Help Available?

It is possible that an external charity may offer financing help to buy a mobility bed, these situations are few and far but it is worth checking with local charities in your area.

There are also VAT relief options available for people with one or more ongoing disabilities, this UK government VAT relief page explains the criteria for zero VAT eligibility on products intended for the care or management of a person&#;s disability.

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What About a Profiling Mattress?

you buy a hospital bed from a mobility equipment supplier, you can also choose the type of profiling mattress that will come with your bed, for comfort a standard profiling bed mattress is the choice to make.

For people who expect to regularly spend a bit longer in bed, a foam pressure relief mattress is the recommended choice.

These types of profiling mattresses have pressure distributing materials inside them that reduce the chance of developing pressure sores/ulcers.

Can You Use a Normal Mattress on a Hospital Bed?

You CANNOT use a standard pocket sprung mattress on a profiling bed. They are just not flexible enough to support the profiling movement of the bed panels.

Non-innerspring mattresses (memory foam, latex and some hybrid mattresses) can imperfectly be used but it is best to buy a profiling mattress specifically made to go along with a profiling bed.

You can learn more about how profiling mattresses use airflow to reduce the development of pressure sores/ulcers.

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