Hospital bed recommendations?

[HeatherPC]

Anyone have a hospital bed recommendation? The one our insurance covers, only hinges near my neck , not at the waist. 24inches from hinge to top of bed. Ridiculous!

 

[lgelb]

This thread may help. I recommend a Joerns, Invacare, or other brand in a "full electric" model that has Trendelenburg and reverse Trendelenburg functionality with a similar remote to that pictured where each of the segments goes up and down and the bed can tilt as a whole. You are absolutely right that there should be a hinge for your upper body.

For Hoyer transfers, you want to have a nice pocket to drop into, with the upper body elevated, where the lower body is immediately elevated once the transfer is made, so the PALS doesn't have a chance to slip down from the desired pillow position.

 

[lisa g]

Laurie,
I've been looking at Invacare beds,can you look at model #5410IVC and give me your opinion on it?

 

[Firefighter58]

I have 3 different beds, one at my house, one at my nursing home, and one at our cottage I find one as good as the other, all three raise the feet and head . The one at home is the first and is suppled ALS society free of charge.

 

[lisa g]

Thanks for the information Firefighter58. Unfortunately I tried my local ALS loaner closet and they are no longer accepting beds or lift chairs. So, I either take the basic bed that Medicare covers or pay out of pocket which I don't mind if it means getting something that I want.

 

[wmilo]

Heather, when I was looking, I think I was in the $3K to $5K range with the features Laurie described.

For the Invacare model which Lisa mentioned, it looks very similar to what I have. I no longer use the height adjustment since I use a lift for all transfers but much better if all electric. Check with the local ALS or MDA Association about loaners.

Two comments:

1. My bed was a loaner and the springs under the mattress sagged badly. My wife covered the springs with plywood panels and it helped a lot. (15/32 plywood, four panels laid out based on frame width/length and hinges being sure to leave space for the panels to pivot, cut to size for low cost at Home Depot, installed right on top of the springs, attached with zip-ties through or around frame and through holes drilled in the wood. She did have to cut out where the side rails attach, using a saber saw and drilling holes at the corners of the cutouts so the blade could pivot.)
2. Another big positive change was to buy a couple of latex pads to go on top of the mattress. I got one 3" medium firm and one 2" soft. If you look for something like 'sleep on latex' it should get you started. (You may need deeper fitted sheets.)

Regards

 

[rao]

I was using an Invacare but have since upgraded to a Paramount which is muc better.

 

[lisa g]

Thanks for the input Bill. The learning curve and what equipment is needed is mind boggling with this disease. So much research when you're going to spend money out of pocket. I contacted my clinic for some insight of how to get the order written up so that  Medicare could pay their part and then I would pay for the upgrade. Their answer was to apply for a ALSA grant that would open up in February. What ? I don't want to wait until then.

Rao, can I ask you what type of upgrades are on the Paramount?

 

[lgelb]

The #5410IVC doesn't have the Trendelenburg (we don't care about this in ALS but there's obviously no such thing as a bed with only "reverse," obviously))/reverse Trendelenburg so it doesn't tilt "up." That would be a dealbreaker for me, for everything from urinal use to pressure relief and just having more positions for your upper body. But it's certainly a step up from a standard hospital bed.

The Joerns UltraCare XT is an example that has the "tilt," but it's a bariatric model. There's probably a non-bari model that I'm not seeing right off, but nothing wrong with a strong bed frame, either.

Retailers that I've bought from include Medicaleshop, Rehabmart, and SpinLife. If you're in an Advantage plan, reimbursement may depend on their being in-network or your plan willing to pay its share on out-of-network suppliers. You can also look at local DME suppliers in your network and talk to them about ordering the bed for you.

 

[rao]

the paramount has this mode where it makes it like a sitting position , I guess good when you not sleeping. Remote has a screen so I can tel how high, angleof bed is. Has an app that let's you control without remote.

 

[lgelb]

That sounds like a "cardiac chair" position that can be achieved with beds that have the reverse Trendelenburg feature.

 

[sdemeyer]

The Lynacare HC107 has been a life saver for my wife and I. We have a thick Purple brand mattress on it for extra comfort so the ability to drop the platform to 7" off the floor is great. It is adjustable for width and length so it will fit XL and wide mattresses.

Good Luck