Senior Living: Shopping For The Best Hospital Bed
If you are caring for an elderly patient or loved one, you surely know how important it is that seniors get enough sleep. And in order to do that, they need to have the right bed and mattress to help ensure that their already compromised sleep is as comfortable and safe as possible. After all, a good night’s sleep is what makes or breaks your day!
When a patient is suffering from an illness or limited strength and/or mobility, a hospital bed can greatly improve their safety and comfort. From position changes to height adjustments, the special features of this type of bed make things easier for patients as well as their caregivers.
When you’re looking online for hospital beds for sale, there are many different things you should be sure to consider.
1. Choose Your Bed Type
The two main types of hospital beds are beds that are manual and beds that are electric. Electric beds can then be broken into two categories: semi-electric and full-electric.
While manual hospital beds are more cost-effective, all height and position adjustments must be done manually. This may or may not be a problem for you, depending on how often you will need to make adjustments.
If the height or position will need to be adjusted on a regular basis, you may want to consider a semi-electric or full-electric bed to save effort on the caregiver’s part, as well as make it possible for patients to do their own position changes.
Full electric beds are generally the most expensive, and as the name implies, all adjustments, including raising the head and foot of the bed or changing the height of the whole mattress, can be done at the push of a button. In addition to the remote, most full electric beds are equipped with a crank that can be used to manually change positions in the case of a power outage.
Semi-electric beds allow the height of the mattress to be controlled with the remote, while other adjustments are manual.
2. Choose Your Bed Size
The standard hospital bed size is 80 inches by 36 inches, and most mattresses, linen and other accessories designed for hospital beds will be compatible with that size.
However, there are extra wide and bariatric hospital beds which offer sizes up to 94 inches in length and 54 inches in width. Bariatric hospital beds also offer increased weight capacity for heavier patients. Regardless of the size, many beds are equipped with wheels to facilitate easier transfers.
3. Choose Your Accessories
When you select a hospital bed online, be sure to check the listing. Some beds come in a package that includes a mattress and rails, some have a variety of each to choose from, and others have one or none of the above options.
Whether you’re buying a full bed package or you’re getting the accessories separately, it’s important to know your options before making your final decision.
Hospital Mattresses
The standard mattress offerings for hospital beds is either innerspring or foam mattresses. However, if you have specific needs for your mattress, you may want to consider a more specialized type of mattress, such as a low air loss mattress or an alternating pressure relief mattress, both of which can be important in the treatment and prevention of bed sores and other conditions.
Bed Rails
Bed rails are an important addition to hospital beds, both to help prevent the patient from falling out and as a mobility assistive device, allowing patients to reposition themselves or get in and out of bed more easily.
Buying a hospital bed is one of the most significant purchases you can make for your elder loved one, so be sure to take time to consider your options carefully before jumping into something you may regret later on.
Author’s Bio: Hanna Landman lives in New Jersey with her husband and 2 children. She is a writer and marketing specialist and works for AvaCare Medical, one of the nation’s largest online medical supply stores servicing seniors and the homebound across the US.
