All about home hospital beds and medical beds

There are 3 main types of medical beds: manual, semi-electric, and fully electric. There are also options that are more specialized, such as bariatric beds.

Manual beds use hand cranks to raise and lower the head and the foot sections for therapeutic benefits, comfort, and activities such as eating or tv watching and to adjust the height of the bed. These beds are the most economical options and are a good choice for people that do not require frequent repositioning. Hand cranks are typically found at the foot of the bed and require a person that is physically capable to operate.

Semi-electric beds have an electric motor to raise and lower the head and foot portions of the bed. Patients and caregivers adjust the positioning by pressing buttons using a hand pendant. The height of the bed is adjusted manually with a hand crank. Semi-electric beds are ideal for people that do not require the height of the bed to be adjusted often but will benefit from touch of a button positioning. Many semi-electric beds feature battery backup lowering for the head and foot sections in case of an emergency.

Full-electric beds have an electric motor that can raise the head and foot sections of the bed as well as the entire height and positioning of the bed. They are controlled by the patient or caregiver using a hand pendant and do not require the use of a hand crank (unless there is a power outage, but many beds now have a backup battery that would power the bed in emergency situations). Full electric beds often have positions available such as Trendelenburg, reverse Trendelenburg and cardiac chair positions. Full electric beds make it easier for patients to get in and out of bed (lower positions are preferable). They also make it easier for the caregiver to raise the bed to a comfortable height to tend to the patient (higher positions are preferable), or to change linens.

Bariatric beds have a higher weight capacity and often come in wider dimensions. They are typically available for users up to around 600 lb. An example of a bariatric medical bed is the Span Advantage ReadyWide, which expands up to 42″ and has a 650 lb capacity. Bariatric users may want to consider a ceiling lift  to facilitate safe transfers.