Do you want to make life a little easier and safer for your loved ones?

What about protecting against dangerous falls or harmful bacteria?  

A modern, at-home hospital bed may be your solution. That’s right– hospital beds aren’t just for facilities! 

These beds come packed with plenty of safety features to keep your loved ones comfortable and safe while “aging in place”. 

Here, we’ll cover some of the top safety features to look for when finding a hospital bed for your home. 

Why Purchase a Hospital Bed?

What’s so special about an at-home hospital bed? 

Hospital beds can dramatically improve daily life and offer dozens of features that traditional beds don’t have. With a hospital bed, you can: 

• Change position or adjust your back, head, or knees with the press of a button
• Encourage positive health outcomes
• Safely get in and out of bed (and prevent falls!)
• Raise or lower the height of the bed
• Move the bed between rooms
• And so much more…

The right hospital bed helps you or a loved one live a happier, safer, more independent life. 

Looking for an at-home hospital bed? Here are the top safety features to keep an eye out for.  

Hi-Low

Hi-Low beds make transfers in and out of bed easier and safer. These beds include a motor that lifts or lowers the bed's platform with the press of a button, letting you adjust to the perfect height every time. 

With a hi-low bed, you can make sure that patients can firmly press both feet on the ground when getting in and out of bed. 

As an added bonus, hi-low beds also help reduce caregiver fatigue. Rather than bending over to dress a wound or deliver medication, you can simply raise the height of the bed to your desired level. This helps prevent back strain and other care-related injuries. 

Pressure Redistribution

When you spend a lot of time in bed every day, it’s common to deal with bedsores and other painful pressure-related wounds. 

Here’s the good news: plenty of hospital bed mattresses are specifically designed to relieve pressure! Alternating pressure and pressure relief mattresses help prevent pressure sores and skin shearing. 

Pressure Relief Mattresses: These mattresses are not powered, and give pressure redistribution through air cells or foam layers. They are usually more affordable than alternating pressure mattresses. 

Alternating Pressure Mattresses: For patients who need extra support, a powered alternating pressure mattress is a great option. These plug-in mattresses have air-filled cells that inflate and deflate in a cycle. This improves blood circulation and provides a lot of relief to users. 

View our top 11 pressure relief & alternating pressure mattresses

Bed Safety Rails

Hospital bed safety rails secure to the sides of your bed, helping keep patients from rolling, slipping, or falling out of bed.  

Bed safety rails can help in two ways: 

• Protect against falls out of bed
• Lend a sturdy grip when entering/exiting the bed. 

It’s common that bed safety rails will be included as part of your hospital bed kit. 

Hospital bed rails may be included as part of your hospital bed kit– often, you can customize which style of rail you prefer. However, you can also purchase bed safety rails individually.

Hospital bed rails come in a wide range of models. Some examples of bed safety rails include: 

• Quarter and Half Rails: Standard horizontal metal rails. Quarter bed rails are smaller, while half rails have a wider surface area. 
• Soft Rails: These rails are made of a soft plastic material, which can be more comfortable for many users. 
• Qbar Assist Rails: A quad-shaped bar that gives a lot of different grip points for transfers
• Add-On Bed Rails: Rails like the Bed Assist Rai or Halo Safety Ring are portable and can be added onto any existing hospital bed. 

Read more about bed safety rails

Fall Prevention Systems

There’s nothing more frightening than a loved one injuring themselves by falling out of bed. Fortunately, many modern hospital beds come with built-in features to help keep patients safe and secure in bed all night long. 

As we discussed earlier, bed rails can be a great tool to keep patients from rolling out of bed at night. Many beds also come with bed exit alarms. These alarms let caregivers know immediately if a user falls (or is about to fall) out of bed, helping you respond as quickly as possible. 

If a fall does happen, it’s important that your loved one gets help quickly. Bed exit alarms help keep a watchful eye out, allowing you respond immediately in an emergency situation. 

Infection Control 

The right hospital bed isn’t only about staying comfortable, but also preventing serious infection. Many people who use hospital beds are elderly, recovering from injury, or immunocompromised in other ways. If a hospital bed isn’t properly clean, contamination can pose a serious health risk. 

To help prevent against infection, keep an eye out for features like: 

• Anti-Microbial Metal Coating: This means that the bedframe is easy to clean and blocks the growth of harmful bacteria. 
• Easily Removable Mattress Covers: Mattress covers are an easy way to keep your mattress clean, without any heavy lifting.

Mobility & Manueverability

Will you need to move the bed between rooms frequently? What’s your exit plan if you need to evacuate quickly? 

The right hospital bed helps make it easy and safe to move the bed while occupied. 

Look for features like: 

Lockable height: Many hi-low beds can be securely locked at any height, allowing caregivers to safely move the bed at any height. 

Detachable bed ends: Some beds have removable bed ends, which can make transfers easier and provide better access for caregivers.

Additional Safety Features

The safety features don’t stop there! Here are some other features you may want to consider: 

• Underbed lighting to help getting in and out of bed during nighttime bathroom trips
• Trapeze bars to help patients sit up safely 
• And more…

When it’s your loved one’s health at risk, hospital bed safety features can make all the difference for your peace of mind. Browse Med Mart’s collection of hospital beds, or contact our team of product experts to find the perfect bed for your home.