Should You Get a Hospital Bed at Home? Here Are 5 Questions to Help You Decide

How to assess if a hospital bed should be an essential part of home-based healthcare and recovery

Not everyone who is recovering from an injury or illness at home needs a hospital bed. But some people do. If the doctor has not mentioned anything yet, carry out a quick assessment on your own. Start by asking the right questions about whether you or a loved one could benefit from laying in a medical-grade hospital bed in the comfort of home.

Photo by Bret Kavanaugh on Unsplash

1. Is the person confined to bed for long hours?

Being bedridden is no fun, and the experience can be even more unpleasant in a regular bed. The person may need to be propped up with pillows during meals, if someone comes to visit, or even while doing something as mundane as combing their hair. Makeshift arrangements like this are not always comfortable. They may even cause pain and injuries.

2. Is there a need to elevate the head or feet?

Raising the upper body is standard advice in many cases. Elevating the head eases breathing difficulties in people with respiratory conditions like COPD and helps with pain relief after medical procedures like spinal surgery. In some situations, like after foot or ankle surgery, the doctor will advise raising the foot above the heart level to improve blood circulation and prevent swelling. But ensuring proper elevation can be a challenge on a standard bed.

3. Has the person been getting frequent bedsores?

Staying in bed in the same position for hours at a time increases the risk of pressure ulcers — what we commonly know as bedsores. Repositioning every few hours helps relieve the pressure. But in case of immobility or pain, this isn’t always easy to do on the regular beds in our homes.

4. Does the person have mobility problems?

If the patient suffers from severe arthritis, has injuries to the lower body or spinal cord, or is recovering from a stroke, moving in or out of a regular bed won’t be easy. For example, raising oneself to get out of bed can be challenging since the height of the bed is fixed. Furthermore, if the bed is too narrow, there’s also the risk of falling out of bed.

5. Does the person need assistance from a caregiver?

A standard bed won’t make things easier if the person needs help with bathing, grooming, and going to the bathroom. The caregiver may need to bend excessively to move the patient or provide the necessary care. This could lead to injuries for both patient and caregiver. Moreover, a regular bed limits autonomy, as the patient may find it hard to move around or make postural adjustments on their own.

How a hospital bed could help

· A hospital bed allows for quick postural adjustments, which eliminates the need to reposition the user from time to time. You can raise the head of the bed, the foot of the bed, or both. This ensures optimum elevation as per the needs of the user. It is much more stable than using pillows.

· Getting in and out of a hospital bed is easier. For example, one could raise the back of the bed to help the user ease themselves on and off the mattress with less effort. Meanwhile, lowering the height of the bed may allow the user to place their feet directly on the floor.

· Since a hospital bed is compact and has wheels, caregivers could easily move it to a different room or place it by a window. This would ensure a change of scenery for the user.

· Add-on accessories are a further benefit here. Rails offer support and safeguard users from rolling off the side. Blanket supports ensure ease of movement, preventing tangles and friction against skin that is sore or healing. Specialized air mattresses are also useful for bedsore prevention.

Getting a hospital bed for home use

If you’re convinced that a hospital bed is essential for recovery, ask the doctor to weigh in on the matter. Once the doctor gives their go-ahead, consider renting a hospital bed as a trial run. Hiring a hospital bed through a medical equipment rental service like EquipMe is an affordable option, especially if you need it for the short term or are hoping to try out different beds before purchasing one for long-term use.