Best Hospital Beds – Reviews and Buyer’s Guide
Hospital beds make easier for caregivers to take proper care of their loved ones in the comfort of their home. Our guide and reviews on best hospital beds can help you make an informed decision.
Hospital beds make easier for caregivers to take proper care of their loved ones in the comfort of their home. Our guide and reviews on best hospital beds can help you make an informed decision.
Many families decide to purchase a hospital bed for home purposes in order to help their aging, disabled or sick loved ones to live with them at home for longer. If you are one of those people, this article will help you find the most comfortable bed for your loved one, and ensure he or she gets as much rest as possible.
Hospital beds are not the same as traditional models. Typically, hospital bed frames are fully adjustable, and you can also adjust the height of the head and feet areas. These adjustments help to prevent bed sores and aid recovery of various medical conditions, while also providing the patient with a supportive bed surface.
In our short guide, you will find our top picks for best hospital beds for your loved ones, a buyer’s guide and answers to common questions people have on this topic.
Qualities: Full electric bed, full or half-rails, 450-lb weight capacity, 365-day warranty, best value pick
The Drive Medical Hospital Bed can be purchased with full rails or half rails. You can buy it with or without a mattress. In case you want a mattress as well, you will get an innerspring one. The bed also has colored labels and springs, making it rather easy and quick to install the side rails.
The height of the bed goes from 12 to 19.5 inches and lowers from 4 to 10.5 inches of the ground. This is very beneficial for safely getting in and out of bed. The full electric bed is backed up with a 9-volt battery in case a power outage occurs. The backup battery has the power to lower the bed up to 9 times. The wood grain finish on the head- and footboards resemble the ones of a traditional bed. In one desire, the head and foot boards can be easily replaced or removed.
Also, it’s worth mentioning that the bed is very light, making it suitable for moving around the room or the house in case of cleaning or transferring the patient.
Qualities: Full electric bed, full or half-rails, 450-lb weight capacity, 2-year guarantee
The Invacare Full Electric Homecare Bed is fully electric and comes with a remote. In case of a power outage, it also has an emergency manual hand crank. Like the previous model, it can be purchased with full rails or half rails, which are very easy to install or remove when needed.
The model is designed for a 6-inch innerspring or foam mattress. Both mattresses come with a waterproof cover to ensure easy cleaning. The end panels of the bed are designed to mimic a wood finish and resemble a traditional bed.
Qualities: Adjustable bed, no rails, 750-lb weight capacity, 10-year guarantee
The Lucid L300 is designed to be an adjustable bed first, and a hospital bed second. It’s a very popular option because it least resembles a hospital bed. The model comes in multiple sizes, such as Twin XL Queen, King, and Split King sizes. Various sizes allow the patients to still sleep with their partners if they prefer to do so. The Split King option allows both sides of the beds to be adjusted separately, and accommodate the individual needs of both sleeping partners.
Depending on the patient’s medical condition, The L300 won’t always be the best fit. However, it definitely offers a lot such as USB charging stations on both sides of the bed base, a remote that can also be used as a flashlight, the ability to pre-program positions, and a 10-year warranty which is significantly longer than typical hospital bed guarantee.
The downsides of purchasing this model are that it doesn’t allow height adjustments, no rails are included, and in case you want to buy the rails, they have to be compatible with a 10-inch or 12-inch Lucid mattress.
Qualities: Full electric bariatric bed, full or half rails, 600-lb weight capacity, 365-day guarantee
If you need a fully-electric bed for a more massive patient, this model is the right choice. Due to very durable construction and a wide sleep surface of forty-two inches, the Drive Medical 15300BV-PKG can support overweight or obese patients with ease.
The purchase includes a mattress and one set of T-rails. It is very easy for assembling without using any tools. It also comes with a remote and emergency manual crank in case of power outage. The head and footboards with their wood finish resemble a traditional bed very much and make it very easy to fit into your home environment.
Qualities: Semi-electric bed, no rails, 450-lb weight capacity, two-year guarantee
The semi-electric Lumex Patriot Homecare Bed is very quiet during adjustments which may be an essential consideration for patients who are sensitive to noise. The height can be increased up to 15 to 24 inches, and the head and foot can be lowered separately to accommodate the needs and preferences of the patient. The bed is backed up with a 9-volt battery that allows adjustments in case of a power outage.
The bed is very easy to assemble; you only need to install five parts. It can be purchased with a wooden finish for a more traditional look, or you can opt for plastic bed ends. The mattress has to be bought separately.
In case your loved one live with a disability or needs to recover from an injury, purchasing a hospital bed may enable him or her to live comfortably at home and spend more time with the family. Today’s hospital beds come with an innovative design that makes them available for home use. Here are some things you should keep in mind when purchasing a hospital bed.
All hospital beds are adjustable, and in most cases, they can be powered electronically or require manual adjustments.
Full-electric hospital beds: By using remote control or buttons on the size of the bed, you can adjust the height of the frame, the head and the feet area of the model. The remote control also allows the patient to adjust the bed on their own. Since full-electric hospital bed doesn’t require any manual effort to make adjustments, their price is higher than average.
Semi-electric hospital beds: These models are very similar to full-electric beds, but adjusting the height of the bed frame requires using a hank crank located on the side. This is a less expensive option but requires more effort from the caregiver.
Manual hospital beds: As the name suggests, these models require all adjustments to be made manually. Since these models don’t use electrical power, they are considered the most affordable hospital beds. However, although they are cheaper, they require a lot of physical effort from the caregiver.
Low hospital beds: With these beds adjustments are possible, but the overall profile of the bed is much lower, typically within a foot from the floor. These models are recommended to patients who are prone to falling out of bed during sleeping or for those who want to get in and out of bed more often. Low hospital beds are typically fully electric.
Bariatric hospital beds: These full-electric beds are built to support heavier patients. The weight capacity of these beds surpasses the typical 450-lb weight capacity, and their mattress area is also a few inches wider. These features, as well as the durable construction of the bed frame, makes this option one of the more expensive ones.
Trendelenburg hospital beds: These beds offer a lot of flexibility in adjustment, and are designed to aid individuals in recovery, aging or therapy. The beds can be adjusted in such a way to allow sitting or positions like bringing the head lower than the feet. The beds are often larger and may require more space than usual to operate fully. Since they are full-electric and offer the most functionality and positioning options, they are the most expensive type of hospital bed sold in the market.
Most hospital beds are designed to fit only one person. Their size is typically the one of a Twin XL mattress or 35 inches wide and 80 inches long. However, some manufacturers offer wider and longer models to accommodate taller or heavier patients. Since most patients are at risk of falling out of the bed, the mattress is also thinner than the standard version, around 6 inches.
If the patient is heavier than average, the weight capacity of the bed is a critical shopping consideration. Besides for checking the weight capacity, also factor in the additional weight of bedding, pillows, and other items. For overweight or obese patients, the most suitable models are Bariatric beds.
All hospital beds allow height adjustments of the entire frame and individual bed areas. If the patient will frequently get in and out of bed, a low hospital bed would be a better option. Height adjustment limit may also be an important consideration in case the patient needs assistance from the caregiver to get in and out of bed. If the height range is inadequate, the caregiver may easily strain their back during assistance.
Side rails protect the patient from falling out of the bed. Half rails only protect the patient’s torso, while full rails extend the length of the bed. Both side rails and half rails are removable. If your loved one is prone to leaving the bed when they shouldn’t or falling out of the bed, this may be an essential feature to look for.
Hospital beds are designed using a variety of materials. All models are designed to be functional and suitable for home use. Due to this, apart from high-quality steel or aluminum construction, these beds also come with wood finishes on the head and footboards, so they resemble traditional beds. This feature, apart from allowing the bed to fit better in a home environment, also enable the patient to feel more at ease when using it.
Hospital beds have a sophisticated design and functions that sometimes require professional assembly. Although all models come with assembly manuals, you may be more comfortable to leave this job to a professional. Sometimes, the manufacturer includes the assembly in the price, or it can be purchased for an extra fee. It’s definitely the easiest to buy a bed that comes to your home fully assembled and ready to use.
Hospital beds, no matter what model you opt for, are a pretty expensive purchase. Therefore, it’s very important to make sure you are making the right decision and indeed buying the model that will suit the needs of your loved one.
When a patient is recovering from an injury or an illness or suffers from a chronic long-term condition, a hospital bed may be more suitable for his or her needs than a regular bed. Hospital beds allow adjustments that may aid the patient’s therapeutic goals. These beds also make it a lot easier for caregivers to take care of their patients. The height of all models can be either increased or decreased to suit the different needs of the patient and the caregiver. For example, the bed can be lowered to help the person get out of bed, and highered so the caregiver can avoid necessary bending and potential back strains.
Hospital beds are very sophisticated and come with a variety of functions and features. Due to this, their price is on the more expensive side – an average price goes from $500 to a few thousand dollars.
Depending on how long you plan to use it, hospital beds can also experience wear and tear. Each manufacturer provides care instructions with the bed. To keep the bed in proper shape, it’s best to stick to the given guidelines strictly.
A wannabe journalist who somehow ended up as an art historian. She is a gamer, a coffee addict and a sleep aficionado. When she is not researching about sleep and finding out new ways to fight off the insomnia beast, she's spending time with her friends, gaming or visiting local museums.
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