A home hospital bed is one of the most important purchases you will ever make. The right bed can transform your quality of life and comfort. But finding the right hospital bed is not as straightforward as buying an ordinary consumer bed.
Home hospital beds are sophisticated pieces of medical equipment with many moving parts. Beds from different manufacturers range enormously in features, quality, and cost. Features are given different names in different stores. If you have no experience of adjustable beds, it can be difficult to get your head around the details.
In this article, we’re going to look at five factors that you should consider when choosing a home hospital bed for yourself or a loved one.
How many adjustments does the bed have?
Most beds described as home hospital beds have at least head and foot adjustments: the upper and the lower section of the bed’s surface are adjustable up and down. These adjustments are great for people who need support to sit up in bed and for people with medical conditions that benefit from sleeping in an upright position.
A three-function bed typically adds a height adjustment: the surface of the bed raises and lowers relative to the floor. Beds with height adjustments are often called hi-low beds, and they are ideal for people with mobility and strength issues, who use wheelchairs, and who receive treatment while on the bed—caregivers should not have to stoop or stretch.
A five-function adjustable bed has the adjustments we’ve already discussed but includes tilt adjustments so the bed can be put in the Trendelenburg or Reverse Trendelenburg positions, which are advised for people with heart, circulatory, and other conditions. The Supernal 5 is an example of a 5-function home hospital bed.
How are the adjustments powered?
The adjustments on a home hospital bed can be manual, semi-electric, or fully electric. Beds with manual adjustments have no external power source: they rely on muscle power. These are the least sophisticated beds on the market. They are unsuitable for people with strength or coordination issues, and the adjustments cannot be controlled by the bed’s occupant.
Semi-electric beds use electric motors on some of their adjustments. Typically, a motor powers the head and foot adjustments while the height adjustment is manually controlled with a hand crank.
Full-electric adjustable beds use motors on all adjustments. The adjustments are controlled with a remote control and can be easily operated by the bed’s occupant. All Transfer Master home hospital beds are full-electric with a wired or wireless remote.
How well-made is the bed?
The quality of home hospital beds is variable. Cheaper beds tend to use lower-quality materials and less robust construction. They are less durable and prone to a motor and joint failure on the adjustments, requiring expensive repairs. We would advise hospital bed buyers to inspect beds in person to assess the quality of their construction.
What is the bed’s weight capacity?
Adjustable beds have an upper limit to the amount of weight they can support. Exceeding the weight capacity is dangerous. It damages the motors powering the adjustments and adjustment mechanisms. Overloading a bed is also bad for patient health and can lead to injury and an increased risk of bedsores.
Transfer Master’s Supernal 5 supports up to 300 lbs and the Supernal Hi-Low up to 500 lbs. We also make bariatric hospital beds for heavier patients that support weights of up to 750 lbs.
Will the bed fit with your home decor?
Home hospital beds are medical equipment, and some manufacturers make no effort to conceal the fact. Their beds are instantly identifiable as hospital beds and do not blend in well with home decor. If the appearance of the bed and the bedroom is important to you, look for an adjustable bed designed to conceal the electrical components and adjustment mechanisms. Our beds are designed to blend in completely with their surroundings; when the adjustments are in their default position, they look just like a standard non-adjustable bed.
If you want to know more about choosing the right home hospital bed for yourself or a loved one, don’t hesitate to contact one of our adjustable bed experts with your questions.
