Hospital beds provide an easier way for patients to be cared for at the hospital, often fitted with technology that allows for positioning the head and foot part of the bed according to the patient’s needs and comfort.
While mostly used in hospitals, there are times when you might want to consider getting a hospital bed for your loved one at home.
Why Consider A Hospital Bed At Home?
A hospital bed at home might sound like a strange idea at first, considering the fact that these products are considered medical equipment used in hospitals, but has several benefits to offer a loved one that is bedridden.
There are many conditions that tend to affect a person’s mobility. When your loved one’s mobility is adversely affected, they might need to remain in bed for prolonged periods of time. Bedridden individuals tend to experience various problems, including bed sores.
A loved one that remains on a standard bed at home might be at an increased risk of bedsores. When the bed is small, there is also an increased risk of your loved one falling off the bed. Comfortability is yet another issue that you need to take into consideration.
Hospital beds are particularly made to be adjustable, while also providing the protection your loved one may need to give them a more secure environment to sleep on. These beds can usually be adjusted at both the head and foot, which means your loved one gets a customized position of their body.
In turn, problems that are common with a regular bed, such as stiff muscles, can often also be reduced.
What Types Of Hospital Beds Are Available?
There are different types of hospital beds that can be used to assist in the provisioning of care for your loved one. You should understand the differences between these beds to help you understand which option would most appropriate.
The major two categories of hospital beds would include manual and electronic options. Manual hospital beds have to be adjusted by someone, while an electronic option would rather come with a remote control that allows your loved one to adjust the bed with the push of a button.
How Do You Know If Your Loved One Needs A Hospital Bed?
A lot of people are not sure if their loved one would truly benefit from a switch to a hospital bed. Given the high prices often associated with these beds, you likely first want to make sure that a hospital bed would be a good decision before deciding to make the investment.
The first factor you should consider is the specific condition that your loved one has and the severity of the disease.
In the elderly, for example, dementia causes about 42.6% of patients to become bedridden eventually. This is due to the cerebrovascular damage that would usually be caused by the underlying condition causing the patient to suffer from dementia.
A ScienceDaily journal entry
explains that some of the most common conditions in the elderly that causes a restriction in mobility tend to include:
- Coronary heart disease
- Diabetes
- Osteoarthritis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Heart failure
In addition to these conditions, it is also important to recognize the effects of certain progressive diseases. These are conditions that will gradually cause damage to your loved one’s body – often leading to damage to the nervous systems. In turn, mobility becomes limited, and you may eventually find your loved one in need of a bed that would offer them better support.
Some progressive diseases that might lead to the need for a hospital bed eventually include:
- Multiple sclerosis
- Parkinson’s disease
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Muscular dystrophy
- Cerebrovascular disease
- Scleroderma
- Cystic Fibrosis
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Also called Lou Gehrig’s disease)
When your loved one is diagnosed with one of these conditions, consider the severity of the disease and how fast the symptoms develop.
It is also important to note that some acute cases might also call for a hospital bed. A common example would be a loved one who was in an accident. They could be in need of a hospital bed during the recovery period.
The Process Of Getting A Hospital Bed For A Loved One
When you notice that a hospital bed might be beneficial for your loved one, then you should consider all your options when it comes to obtaining this medical equipment. Hospital beds are quite expensive, especially if you decide to buy the bed.
If you do decide to buy a hospital bed instead of looking at rental options, then be prepared to pay anything from about $500 for a very basic option to around $10,000 for a full electric hospital bed.
There are several medical companies that would allow you to rent a hospital bed instead. This will certainly be a more affordable solution if the bed would only be needed temporarily, such as in cases where your loved one needs to recover from an accident.
Instead of paying a once-off fee, you would rather be charged a monthly fee to continue using the bed. Once it is not needed anymore, the bed will be picked up by the company you are renting it from.
It should be noted that some medical insurance providers will also cover the cost of buying or renting a hospital bed. Each provider will have its own criteria. With Medicare, for example, there are four specific details that the insurance provider looks at.
If the patient meets any one of these four criteria, then Medicare would cover part of the amount required. There are cases where specialty beds will also be covered by a medical insurance provider.
Conclusion
A hospital bed at home can be a valuable item for a loved one who is affected by a condition that causes them to be bedridden. This type of medical equipment can also assist in providing those who have difficulty sleeping on a standard bed to have better protection and more comfortable sleep.
References
https://www.drugs.com/cg/how-to-choose-and-safely-use-a-hospital-bed.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/1560608/
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190411101740.htm
https://www.payingforseniorcare.com/financial-assistance/home-hospital-beds
http://www.midislandmedical.com/medical-and-insurance-guide.html