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.

Hospital beds and adjustable beds offer head and foot angle adjustments for people who require changes in position due to pain, illness, surgery, snoring, sleep apnea, or simply for comfort. However, there are some important differences between the two.

The main difference between a hospital bed and an adjustable bed is that a hospital bed is designed for people who need temporary or permanent medical care, whereas an adjustable bed is designed for comfort and convenience. If you or a loved one needs an adjustable bed either temporarily or permanently, being aware of the differences between a hospital bed vs adjustable bed will help you make the most appropriate choice.

Height Adjustability

Both hospital beds and adjustable beds have adjustable bed frames with independent head and foot sections. However, most hospital beds can also be raised and lowered vertically whereas adjustable beds cannot. 

Typically, a hospital bed is raised for more ergonomic caregiving&#;preventing the caregiver from having to bend over&#;and lowered when the patient is sleeping to minimize any injuries from a fall (hospital beds also come with bed rails, so the risk of a fall is low). 

Being able to raise and lower the bed can also be helpful when using patient lifts to transfer the patient between the bed and a wheelchair, power chair, or commode, and for safety while performing exercises for bedridden patients.

Size

Hospital beds are intended for use by a single patient and typically come in an extra-long twin size. Adjustable beds, by contrast, come in several different sizes, including twin, full, queen, king, and even split king&#;allowing two people to share the bed while adjusting each side of the bed separately.

A note about bed linen: Hospital beds typically require a special extra-long twin fitted sheet whereas adjustable beds usually conform to traditional household linen sizes. Linen for hospital beds is readily available and can be purchased at most medical supply stores.

Want more information on medical beds for sale? Feel free to contact us.

Portability

As hospital beds often need to be moved from place to place, they typically come with wheels for easier portability. This is a helpful feature to have if a patient will be moved between a bedroom and a sitting room or will need to be wheeled between an operating theater and a recovery room. Adjustable beds, as pieces of domestic furniture, aren't designed to be moved around. However, some models fold up for easy storage when not in use.

Features

Hospital beds and adjustable beds have very different features, reflecting the end-user each kind of bed is intended to serve.

Hospital beds typically have:

• A handset and remote controls for changing the head or foot angle

• Safety rails

• A removable footboard

• A foam mattress with an easy-to-clean vinyl surface

• An over-bed table (optional)

• A trapeze bar (optional)

• USB charging ports (selected models)

Adjustable beds may have:

• Remote, Wi-Fi, and smartphone control

• A gel, memory foam, latex, or hybrid mattress

• Pre-set positions

• Under-bed lighting

• USB charging ports

• Massage function

• Heat function

• Wake up alarms

• Speakers

• Bluetooth

While hospital beds usually come with standard features, adjustable beds can be ordered with custom features to suit the preferences and intended use of the buyer. This reflects the fact that hospital beds have a more utilitarian purpose whereas adjustable beds are used for comfort, convenience, or fun.

Power Source

Both hospital beds and adjustable beds use electricity to run. However, there are a few differences in the options available as far as the power source is concerned.

• Manual bed. The bed is raised and lowered with a hand crank rather than with electricity. Manually cranked hospital beds were the norm before push-button hospital beds were invented in .

• Semi-electric bed. This model typically has a hand crank for the bed height and powered controls for the heat and foot sections. Some models offer powered heat and foot adjustments with a static (non-adjustable) bed height.

• Full-electric bed. A full-electric bed has a motorized bed height adjustment as well as powered controls for the head and foot sections. Specialty hospital beds and adjustable beds are typically fully electric.

Aesthetics

As pieces of durable medical equipment, hospital beds are designed for functionality rather than aesthetics. The headboard and footboard are typically simple, without elaboration, and the mattress usually has a vinyl outer layer for easy cleaning.

By contrast, adjustable beds come in a wide range of textures and colors and are often indistinguishable from traditional beds. However, with the rising popularity of in-home hospital beds, some manufacturers are starting to design hospital beds with electronic components hidden from view that blend in easily with the decor in your room.

Legal Oversight

As medical devices, hospital beds are usually manufactured in accordance with FDA guidelines and pass rigorous testing for product safety. In contrast, adjustable beds are not medical devices and don't go through the same testing as hospital beds. Instead, adjustable beds are covered by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, and as such must not present an unreasonable risk of serious injury.

Cost

The cost of a hospital bed vs an adjustable bed depends on the size and features of the bed. While basic models may have a similar cost, full-electric adjustable beds with a wide range of features will tend to cost a lot more than basic hospital beds.

If you'll only need an adjustable bed for a few weeks, it's usually more cost-effective to rent hospital beds rather than purchase one outright. However, if you'll need the bed permanently, purchasing one makes more financial sense. Our mobility equipment supply store in Denver, Colorado, for example, offers credit from your hospital bed rental if you later decide to buy the bed.

Hospital Bed vs Adjustable Bed: The Verdict

After considering the unique features of each kind of electric bed, hospital beds are more suited to use by patients with health or mobility challenges and adjustable beds are more suited to use by able-bodied people who simply want greater comfort and convenience than a traditional bed provides.

If you're not sure which kind of bed you prefer or only need it temporarily while recovering from an injury, illness, or surgery, consider hospital bed rental. If you end up needing the bed long-term and find that it's perfect for your needs, you can always buy it later on.

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