Are you looking to make your home more safe and comfortable for an aging loved one? Or are you helping “remodel” their home to be more accessible?
There are plenty of steps that you can take in order to make a living space safer for elderly individuals. These recommendations don’t require expensive construction costs (some are free!), and can make all the difference in everyday life for you or a loved one.
Read on for our top tips on creating a home perfect for “aging in place”.
1. Clear Clutter and Obstructions
This is one of the most important steps to keeping your home accessible. Best of all, it’s completely free of cost! Clean up your home to reduce the risk of falls and make it easier to navigate. Remove piles of clothing on the floor, re-organize furniture to create clear walkways, and sort cluttered cables.
Not only will this reduce tripping risk, but a clean home provides a sense of mental calmness. This can decrease anxiety and make it easier for a loved one to independently
Do you want to make sure that an elderly loved one is safe living at home? Make sure you consider fall prevention.
Unexpected falls are one of the most dangerous risk factors for aging adults. Falls become more common as we age because we lose muscle mass and struggle to keep our balance. A simple fall out of bed can lead to broken bones, head trauma, and other scary consequences.
Here’s the good news: there are modern hospital beds and tools specifically designed to prevent falls out of bed. With the right hospital bed at home, you can have peace of mind knowing that you don’t need to worry about falls in the night.
In this blog, we’ll go over our top tips for preventing falls, top hospital beds, and other features to look out for to keep elderly loved ones safe.
Top Tips for Preventing Falls from Bed
1.Use a Hi-Low Bed
Safely getting in and out of bed isn’t always easy! A hi-low hospital bed is a type of bed that can easily be adjusted to different heights using a built-in
Would you like to experience old age in a medical facility, or at home surrounded by friends and family members?
As the baby boomer generation ages, many individuals are determined to age “in place,” staying in their homes and surrounded by loved ones. Aging in place is becoming increasingly popular—and with good reason! It allows you to remain comfortable in your home and have full control over your daily life.
The real reasons why we need comfortable hospital beds:
Improves your loved one's comfort and sleep quality.
Facilitates better care and nursing access.
Reduces pressure sores with adjustable features.
Supports recovery through improved rest.
Enables better circulation and respiratory function.
Customizable positions aid specific health needs.
Promotes independence and mobility in patients.
DME: The Key to Aging in Place
As we age, our bodies require additional support and accommodations to ensure a comfortable and supportive home environment.
Do you want to help provide the best quality of care possible for your parent, spouse, or other loved one?
It can be difficult to watch loved ones get older: daily mobility and everyday tasks that used to be simple, suddenly aren’t anymore. Your loved ones may begin to struggle with getting out of bed on their own, may be a fall risk, or need to stay in specific seated positions to accommodate health conditions.
As family members age, risks of health complications and injuries also increase.
A home hospital bed can be an enormous help in caring for your loved one and providing them a happier, safer quality of life.
You may be wondering- how do I know when to buy a home hospital bed?
When to Purchase a Home Hospital Bed
When Your Loved One Experiences Decreased Mobility
As we age, many individuals find it challenging to get in and out of bed or adjust positioning on their own. Aching joints, injuries, and decreased strength can all play a role in seniors needing a bit more extra
Struggling to get in and out of bed? Need relief from pressure sores or achey joints? Dealing with a chronic health condition? Home hospital beds can provide significant relief, improve health outcomes, and improve everyday life for a wide range of people.
Here are our top tips for choosing a home hospital bed to improve you or a loved one’s quality of life.
Manual, Semi-Electric, and Electric Hospital Beds
How much would you like to rely on manpower to change patient positioning in your home hospital bed?
Manual Hospital Beds: Rely on cranks to raise and lower the head and feet of the bed without motors
Semi-Electric Hospital Beds: Use a motorized system to raise and lower the head and knees of the bed, but often rely on a manual crank system for vertical adjustments.
Electric Hospital Beds: These beds are fully electric– users can change their position in bed, transition to a seated position, or raise and lower the platform of a bed with the push of a button.
Gone are the days of struggling with bulky cranks or stacking pillows in order to help a patient change position in bed. These days, modern hospital and long term care beds include motorized systems for easy adjustment.
Need to sit up in bed? Raise your knees? Changing positions can be as simple as pressing a button on a handheld remote control.
If you’re looking for a home hospital bed, you may find yourself wondering– what’s the difference between a fully electric and semi-electric hospital bed?
Fully Electric vs Semi-Electric Hospital Beds
Both electric and semi-electric hospital beds use motors to adjust the positioning of the bed without manual strain. Patients or caregivers can adjust the bed through a handheld remote or control panel attached to the bed.
Hi-low Bed vs Hospital Bed
Hi-low beds and hospital beds are designed to assist patients with mobility and care, but they serve slightly different purposes. Hi-low beds are primarily used in home care settings and feature
Thinking about making the transition from a regular bed to home hospital bed, but aren’t sure if it’s worth it?
Don’t let the name fool you, “hospital beds” belong in your home as well, and can dramatically transform the everyday comfort and wellbeing of those with mobility issues.
In this blog, we’ll explore four of the top reasons to have a hospital bed at home for yourself or a loved one.
Improved Comfort
Home hospital beds are designed to be highly adjustable, conforming to your exact comfort level and preferences.
Adjustable Positioning: Transition from a laying to a sitting position with a button's touch. A home hospital bed allows you to adjust your foot or head positioning, raise your knees, and more without stacking pillows.
Mattress Selection: Choose from foam, gel, air, or multiple materials to find the perfect mattress to match your comfort. The mattress selection options for home hospital beds are endless, providing far greater customization options than traditional mattresses.
A home hospital bed safety rail is a component that secures to a home bed, offering a helping hand to support loved ones with mobility limitations. These rails help provide a sturdy grip while entering/exiting the bed and prevent harmful falls.
Bed safety rails can be purchased as part of a hospital bed kit or individually.
5 Things to Consider When Selecting Bed Safety Rails
When evaluating different hospital bed rails for your needs, here are the top five things to consider:
Support Requirements: What are the user’s mobility limitations? Will the patient be using the rail independently for transfers? Are they at risk of falls? It’s important to understand which safety features are most important for your loved one.
Portability: Will the bed rail stay in one place, or are you looking for a more portable solution? Plenty of lightweight bed rails can easily be packed and taken with you on trips.
Installation Complexity: Some bed rails can be easily installed