The usefulness and importance of a hospital bed cannot be overemphasized. Even at home, it could be an important piece of equipment and this makes the process of choosing one a bit daunting. This isn’t just about hospital beds; it also applies to other adaptive bedroom equipment.
The fact that you’d have to redesign your room, eliminate some of your furniture and have them replaced with this medical equipment is thought-provoking.
The process of making the switch doesn’t even become easier after you have accepted the reality of making the change because of the many options available. In this article, we will be exploring the different types of hospital beds and bed accessories as well as their benefits and what they offer.
To start with, you can choose from three options. Hospital beds can be manual, semi-electric, or full electric.
Manual hospital beds: In this type of hospital bed, control of height and position is done manually with a crank. Therefore, manual labor is required to effect positional change. This option is actually not bad for patients that do not require constant positional change. Manual beds are relatively cheaper and economical.
Semi-electric hospital beds: The adjustment of the head and feet of this type of bed is made possible by a motor. Therefore, position can be changed with the push of a button. However, a semi-electric hospital bed has manual height, and it is perfect for a patient that requires frequent adjustments of the leg and head rests without much adjustment of the height. In terms of cost, a semi-electric hospital bed is more costly than a manual bed.
Fully electric hospital bed: This type of hospital bed is electrically powered and plugged to an outlet. It is remotely operated and its remote can be found close to the bed. Changing the position of this bed type of bed is an easy thing to do due to the absence of any form of manual labor. The head, feet, and height of an electric hospital bed can be adjusted with the push of a button. This is an important feature for lowering and raising the bed so that the user can get in and out with ease.
Mattresses
Just as there are different hospital bed options, there are also so many options when it comes to hospital mattresses. The innerspring mattress is typically the most popular type of hospital bed mattress. This type of mattress is recommended for patients that won’t stay long in bed. It is very similar to a regular mattress.
A foam prevention mattress is the recommendation for patients that will spend an extended period in bed. Bedsores and pressure ulcers may develop if a patient stays in bed for too long. With a foam prevention mattress, this can be prevented because of the ability of the mattress to distribute weight evenly. If the patient has already developed pressure ulcers or bedsores, an alternating pressure relief mattress is the recommendation. This type of mattress helps to prevent the trapping of heat in the body.
Hospital bed accessories
Some hospital bed accessories worth considering include bed canes or bed rails that helps the patient get in and out of bed. It is also beneficial to patients that need help repositioning themselves in bed. A trapeze bar can also be connected to the hospital bed if the patient requires more than basic assistance getting in and out of bed.