If a family member is coming home from the hospital but will still need to be nursed at home, you may be thinking about buying a hospital bed for them to use at home. This is often cheaper in the long run than renting a hospital bed, especially if your loved one will need the bed for more than a month or two. When they are finished with the bed, you can resell it and recoup a good portion of the original purchase price.
Since you've probably never purchased a hospital bed before, you may be a bit perplexed as you browse the selections offered by various medical equipment stores. But rest assured — as long as you buy a bed with these four features, you'll have made a good choice.
1. Adjustable Height
Not only should the front of the bed incline and adjust, but the height of the entire bed should adjust, too. This will allow you to adjust the bed's height to that which is most comfortable for the patient to get on and off of — which might change as they heal. For example, someone recovering from a hip injury may need the bed a bit higher at first, but lower as they regain the ability to actually bed at the waist as they sit down on the bed.
2. A Remote Control
Especially when your loved one first comes home, you might be the one adjusting the height and the angle of the bed. This is easier to do when you have a remote control. A handy remote saves you from having to awkwardly stretch and reach over the patient to reach control buttons.
3. Suitable Weight Capacity
Check the weight capacity of the bed to ensure it accommodates your loved one's weight. If your loved one is a tiny, 90-pound person, of course, this won't be an issue — but you may be surprised to find that some hospital beds have pretty low weight limits and cannot accommodate obese patients.
4. Prevention Foam Mattresses
Some hospital beds come with mattresses; other times, they are sold separately. In either case, look for a mattress made with prevention foam. This sort of mattress prevents pressure points from developing on certain spots so the patient does not develop bed sores while in the bed. Bed sores can develop within just a few days, even on younger patients, so don't overlook this feature. For more information, speak with a representative at a medical equipment company.
