How to Choose the Best Hospital Bed for Homecare

While in the past, health care beds were used primarily in hospitals, it is becoming more common to use a hospital bed for home care to allow patients to recover from illnesses at home in a more comfortable environment. 

Having a hospital bed for home care is also easier for the primary carers. Health care beds, also known as electric beds, have a number of hinges throughout the bed that can enable the person using them to recline in various places and at different angles. They can also make transfers to wheelchairs or other devices much easier than from a regular bed. 

As it is a significant purchase, it can be overwhelming to understanding the different types of hi lo beds, models, and functionality that they provide in order to choose the one that best fits the needs of you or your loved one. 

Below we will share some things to think about to help give you confidence that you are making the right choice.

Length of Time Required

Firstly, when researching aged care beds for sale, it is important to understand how long the individual is likely to need the bed. If you or your loved one will need the bed longer term, then choosing an electric bed will make it easier for the individual or the carer to manoeuvre the bed to be comfortable as well as make it easier for transfer in and out of the bed.

If the bed is required for a shorter term such as to recover from an illness or injury, a semi-electrical bed might be more suitable. These beds have electric controls to enable reclining but have a manual crank to raise or lower the height of the entire bed making them a more economical option. 

Bed Positions

Having a bed such as the Volker Health Care Bed that can be maneuvered to the Trendelenburg and anti-Trendelenburg position can provide additional support and comfort to the person using the bed. 

Discovered in 1881, the Trendelenburg position allows the top of the bed to tilt backwards leaving the person’s feet higher than their heads. Conversely, the anti-Trendelenberg position places the person in the opposite position so their feet are lowered and their head is tilted forward. This can enable the person to be upright almost in a seated position. 

Assembly and Warranty

There is nothing more frustrating than purchasing the perfect hi-lo bed but not being able to assemble it. Some suppliers will include an installation and warranty service with the price of the bed. This can provide you with peace of mind that the construction will be done as intended by the manufacturer and will be as safe as possible. 

Similarly, making sure that the manufacturer for medical beds for home use provides a warranty is important. This is a way of ensuring that there is a quality product and that if something does go wrong, you will not occur any additional expenses. 

Other Features

As the technology continues to improve on hi-lo beds, many come with a variety of other features and additions that can be helpful such as: 

• Bed rails. These are important if the person is likely to fall out of bed and are a feature of the Dynamic hospital bed
• Mattress included. This is important to ensure that the mattress fits properly on the bed frame
• Bed scale. This can be added if the person needs to be weighed without leaving the bed