Taking care of a recuperating patient or a senior citizen at home can be challenging, especially when using a standard bed. Standard beds are not easy to alter for your patient's comfort, and they're also difficult to relocate.

However, when your patient is using a hospital bed, they can easily get adjusted and moved to any room in the house. So, should you buy a hospital bed or rent one?

There are pros and cons to each option. The renting choice is ideal, especially when the usage is short-term. Renting a hospital bed is also more affordable than buying one.

There are many  hospital bed rental  service providers offering different rental beds that will suit your patient's needs. Here is an ultimate guide for hiring the best hospital bed for your home patient.

How to Choose a Hospital Bed?

When choosing a hospital bed, it's important to get the right size and specifications. It's also ideal to factor in the needs of your patient. Here are some factors to consider when hiring a hospital bed:

There are different bed sizes for different patients. Choosing a smaller bed size for an overweight patient may lead to complications. So, always ensure you select the right bed size for your patient.

You should consider how you or your patient adjust the bed to different positions. The best hospital beds should have accessible features for raising and lowering the head and feet segments when the need arises. 

These provide support to patients who cannot get in and out of bed without help. Apart from offering support, they also safeguard the patients from falling out of the bed. Choose a hospital bed with adjustable rails that can fit your patient's needs.

Hospital beds come with different mattresses depending on the provider. Settling for a bed with the wrong type of mattress can lead to the formation of bedsores around the body's weight-bearing areas. You can protect your patient from bedsores by choosing a hospital bed that comes with either:

Renting a hospital bed is one of the cost-effective approaches to managing a patient at home. However, if you're not keen on the payment terms of some rental companies, you may end up spending more than your budget.

Check with the leasing company whether their prices also cater to repairs and maintenance or solely for hiring the bed.

How long do you intend to rent the bed? Most rental companies offer beds for a period of one to six months. However, you can always negotiate this depending on your needs.

Types of Hospital Beds Available

Before you start looking for a rental company, it's essential to know the different types of hospital beds. Hospital beds are available in three varieties: manual, semi-electric, and fully electric.

These are the least expensive hospital beds to hire. To adjust their height, raise or lower the head or foot or your patient, you must use hand cranks.

 As the caregiver, you should physically operate the crank. Even though this is a cheaper option, it does not guarantee your patient comfort and independence.

Using a handheld controller, these hospital beds have a motor that raises and lowers the head and foot sections. However, as the caregiver or the patient, it will require you to adjust the hand crank to alter the bed's height. This is the best choice for patients who don't need the bed height to be adjusted frequently.

The patient or caregiver can adjust the height of this type of bed using the control panel without operating a manual crank. Everything from raising and lowering the head area, raising and lowering the foot end or the bed its self is fully automated.

This type of bed gives the maximum patient independence and makes it easier for the caregiver to attend to the patient.

If you're caring for a loved one recovering from an illness at home, choosing the right hospital bed can make all the difference. A fully electric hospital bed offers maximum patient independence and makes it easy for the caregiver to attend to them. When renting a hospital bed, consider the size of the bed, ease of positioning, type of mattress, and payment terms.

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Printable version | Aug 8, 2022 1:02:31 pm | https://www.thehindu.com/brandhub/pr-release/the-ultimate-guide-to-hospital-bed-rental/article38063579.ece