If you're planning to have a hip or knee replacement and you'll be recovering at home rather than at a rehab center, consider the benefits of renting a hospital bed. You'll probably have an easier time positioning yourself in bed and getting in and out of bed so you won't have to rely on others as much. Besides helping you be more independent, a hospital bed can make your recovery more comfortable. Here are four benefits of renting a hospital bed.
1. You Can Rent By The Month
You only need to rent the bed for a short while since you can rent beds by the month. If you need the bed for longer than a month, the following months may even have lower rates. It's possible your insurance coverage will pay for the bed, but you'll have to check with your carrier and your doctor first. If the bed isn't a medical necessity, you might have to pay out of pocket, but the cost could be worth it to have a safer bed and to increase your comfort for a few weeks.
2. The Bed Adjusts For Comfort And Safety
An important benefit of a hospital bed is that the bed can be lowered or elevated as you need it for safety getting in and out. Your feet should rest flat on the floor when you sit on the side of the bed so you can stand safely, especially after you've had orthopedic surgery.
Plus, the head and the foot of a hospital bed elevate independently so you can raise the head to make the bed like a recliner for comfortable reading or TV watching, or you can raise the foot if you need to elevate your legs to help with swelling.
3. A Hospital Bed Is Convenient For Recovery
If your bedrooms are upstairs, you'll probably need to place a bed downstairs for your recovery period so you can avoid using stairs until your doctor says it's safe for you to do so. Hospital beds are usually twin beds that don't take up a lot of room, so you could put it in the living room, family room, or great room so you can be around other people rather than tucked away in a bedroom all alone.
As soon as you're mobile and able to resume using your old bed, you can return a rented hospital bed and not have to worry about what to do with an extra bed.
4. Hospital Beds Have Safety Features
Safety features are nice additions to a standard bed so you have something to steady yourself as you position yourself in bed or pull yourself to a sitting position. You can add side rails or grab rails for support when in bed or sitting on the side of the bed. You could even rent or buy a bed table so you could eat in bed or play cards on the table while sitting in bed.
While a hospital bed makes the time you have to spend recovering in bed more comfortable, your doctor may not want you to spend too much time in bed being sedentary. When you have a bed that's safe and easy to get in and out of, you may be more likely to get up and transfer to a chair or take daily walks that will speed your recovery.
Speak with a professional about hospital bed rental services near you.
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