Hospital Beds
Hospital beds
Hospital beds can be used in hospitals, homes and nursing homes to allow people who are ill, to rest comfortably. If you are in an unfortunate position of choosing one for your loved ones, you will certainly feel overwhelmed. There are many parameters you should consider when selecting a Hospital Bed.
- For how long will the hospital bed be used?
- Does the person using it carry a risk of falling out of the hospital bed?
- What will be the physical state and condition of the person using it?
- Will the caregiver be capable of physical work like cranking the lever?
- How much care will the patient need when in bed?
While these are some basic questions that you need to answer, there may be additional factors to be considered depending on the requirements you may have.
There are many different types of hospital beds that are available today.
With this bed you need to crank a lever manually to perform all adjustments, be it head, foot or height. Usually this lever is found at the head or foot of the bed and requires the person to bend or kneel down to use the lever. Since manual action is required, it may not have as many positions as an electric bed. The manual cranking requires some strength. If the person who is going to adjust the positions, be it the patient or the caregiver, has mobility issues or is weak, then this may not be the right choice. If you don’t need frequent adjustments, have an able caregiver or you are on a tight budget, you could consider this option.
This bed uses a small motor to make the adjustments. While you can perform the head and foot adjustments using a remote control with a single switch, you still have to make height adjustments manually using the lever. If you require the height to be adjusted only on rare occasions, then you can choose this over the full version of the electric bed.
This bed is the same as the semi electric version, except that the height modification can also be done using the remote control in addition to the head and foot adjustments. It uses a pulley system and steel cables for the height adjustment to happen without any issues. This type of bed scores over all the others in ease of use. You can choose this type if you want to make life easier for both the caregiver and the patient and if you are not too worried about your budget since this is the most expensive of all the three types.
If you have any specific bariatric requirements, then you should choose the bariatric bed. This has stronger than normal and durable frames to support patients who are heavier. The frames are wider than normal versions to offer maximum comfort to the patients. Usually such bariatric beds are full electric ones to offer the maximum convenience to the caregiver also.
Your mattress requirement is generally dependent on the type of the bed you choose. There are mattresses filled with foam, gel or air. Special mattresses are also used for prolonged durations to prevent bed sores and pressure sores.
- Inner spring mattress is the traditional mattress suitable for patients who don’t have any special needs and require the mattress for limited duration of time.
- Prevention mattresses are used to prevent pressure and bed sores from happening, especially in patients who are immobile and who spend long durations lying in the bed
- Alternating pressure mattresses provide pressure relief and skin moisture management by modifying air pressure on individual air cells. They are best suited for promoting better blood flow and circulation for quicker healing
There are few accessories that provide enhanced comfort and safety to the patient and the caregiver in their day to day activities. You can use over-the-bed tables to improve the eating capabilities of the patient. Such tables also assist the caregiver when the patient is having food. Bed rails are a safety feature that you can use when the patient has a tendency to roll over and fall down. There are bed rail protector pads that are available to protect the patient from the rails. Depending on the skin condition of the patient, you can choose from a variety of pads and mattress covers to prevent any skin related ailments from happening.
Choosing the right hospital beds is a very important step in the process of giving timely health care assistance. When the patient feels comfortable in the bed, it boosts the self-confidence which goes a long way in moving towards the cure. When you invest in the correct hospital bed, you are investing in the well-being of your loved ones when they need it the most.