Hospital Beds for the Home

Due to the ever higher spiraling cost of long-term care, the possibility of government programs being cut and the high cost of health insurance, more and more of the elderly or the bed-ridden ill are staying in the family home.  With the assistance of home health care and the extended family, the aged and sick are more often able to live with loved ones instead of a long-term health facility.

Being able to recuperate from an illness or to live out one's life with their family has many benefits for both the individual and the kith and kin caretakers.  From the perspective of the patient, comfort is a huge factor.  When someone is recovering from an illness or accident they need all their energy to focus on their getting well, and being surrounded by their loved ones and enjoying the security and comfort of home can be very beneficial, and the family is able to show their love and affection to a family member in need. 

One way to help make a home bound person more comfortable is with a hospital bed.  Hospital beds are not just for hospitals or health care facilities anymore.  Many homes now have a hospital bed which enables the patient to sit up, change positions and increase their comfort dramatically.  The use of a regular flat bed is fine for sleeping but for a person who will be spending much of their time in bed, sometimes simply being able to raise or lower the head or legs can make a tremendous difference and being able to sit up in bed to watch television, read or eat a meal is also tremendous aid to the person's well-being.  Some hospital beds for home use can even double as a chair because they can articulate to full upright positions.

Rehabmart offers a selection of hospital beds for both professional and home use.  The Multi-Height Manual Hospital Bed by Drive Medical is one example of a multi-purpose bed.  By operating the hand cranks at the foot of the bed, the bed head, foot and overall height can be adjusted.  
                            

The back and foot adjustment allows for an anatomically correct sleep surface while the channel frame construction provides superior strength and reduced weight.

If room space is a concern, the Med-Mizer RetractaBedis an adjustable bed that provides a safe and convenient bed that creates patient independence.  With a touch of one button, the auto-contour positions are actuated which means that the head station of the bed continues to hug the wall while the rest of the bed moves to the patient's comfort, thus keeping the patient in close proximity to their bedside cabinet and overhead lighting.  A non-retractable bed places the patient in a potentially dangerous position of stretching back over the head section to retrieve personal items from the bedside cabinet.  When the head section of this retractable bed is elevated, the foot section retracts 13 inches to free up space for a wheelchair or for visitors. 

                        
                                                                                           

This bed also has a Hi/Low control that permits the entire bed to smoothly rise from a lower level to allow easy patient access to a higher elevation which assists patients who have difficulty in standing up from a low position and allows better patient access and transport to a wheelchair.

Another example of a hospital bed that can be used either in a health facility or home is the Carroll CS7 Hospital Bed which combines ergonomic auto-contour positioning, innovative tool-less assembly, an extensive travel range and an impressive weight capacity all combined with a commitment to safety and reliability.  A tubular steel frame construction provides a stable, comforting sleep surface with a weight capacity of 500 pounds and is height adjustable between a 7 to 30 inch height range. 
                                  

There is an auto contour feature built into every bed which provides comfort to the patient while sitting up in the bed and this model also includes the Carroll assist rail which provides a safe environment at rest. When the rail is not required, simply move it out of the way with the quick-release button.  Another benefit of this bed is the optional 10-function attendant control panel which allows a staff or family member to easily operate all bed functions from the foot board.  If the patient is restless or even stubborn, the attendant can lock out any or all hand control functions directly from this panel.

A person recovering from surgery or an accident needs quality rest to assist in their body's recovery and the best way to achieve complete rest and recovery is with a multi-functional hospital bed.  Having a hospital bed in the home has become more common and cost effective for many people with aging parents or individuals with a long-term recovery from illness or accident.