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Home > Professional Products > Care furniture > Specialist Beds and Mattresses |
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This section is concerned with beds for individuals with special needs. A proper assessment by a suitably qualified professional is important, in order to make sure that the correct piece of equipment is chosen. Click the links below to go straight to more information on: Profiling beds |
Suppliers of specialist beds. Clicking on a name will open that supplier's display page in a new browser window: 1st Call Mobility heavy-duty beds |
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Profiling beds
There are considerable advantages to a profiling system: Mattresses for use on profiling beds should have the same number of sections as the bed. There are foam and sprung versions available. For anyone who has limited mobility and spends a great deal of time in bed, a compatible pressure relief mattress should be chosen. Low Beds
The options now available include straightforward low level beds, designed to accommodate a mobile hoist (an important consideration in the selection of any care bed), as well as ultra-low electrically powered profiling beds, which offer all the advantages described above, including the ability for the carer to work at a height which is safe and convenient for them, before returning their patient to a much lower level. For extra security, safety rails may be used (see below) and / or a thick supportive mat be placed next to the bed, to cushion any fall. Care must be taken in this case, to ensure that the patient cannot become entrapped between the bed and the mat. King's Fund BedsDesigned by a team led by Bruce Archer from the Royal College of Art in the 1960s, The King's Fund Bed set the standard for hospital care beds, with its tilting and height adjustment mechanisms. It is still apparently used in 85% of hospitals. It is, however, rather large and difficult to manoeuvre, and crucially, the adjustments are manual, making them hard work for care staff. Increasingly, the King's Fund Bed is being phased out in favour of more user-friendly and responsive powered adjustable beds. Positioning Systems Systems are available to support users lying on their side, or in a prone or supine position. Depending on the type chosen, the supports can be used with a profiling bed, and laid flat when required, to make transferring in and out of the bed easier. Pressure relief
Dynamic alternating systems consist of a mattress or overlay which is made up of individuals cells which are continuously inflated and deflated by an electrically-powered pump, so that pressure areas are regularly varied, whilst maintaining comfortable support. The mattress cover is very smooth and vapour permeable, to prevent friction, shearing (pulling) of the skin and maceration (where the skin remains damp), all of which encourage the formation of sores, and slow their healing. This type of mattress is sometimes also combined with a lateral turning motion: the bed's occupant is automatically turned from one side to the other at pre-programmed intervals. This feature can help minimise the work of care staff in manually turning immobile patients, and it does relieve pressure, but it is not a complete solution for everybody: for example, limbs may need repositioning manually, for comfort. There are also mattresses made from adjustable air-filled cells which are not powered. These are adjusted manually, using a pump, and cushion the user comfortably with pressure evenly distributed, though they will not alternate pressure areas as the automatic system does. They are cost-effective and do not require a power source.
Visco memory foam, which gently moulds to the shape of the user, may also be used, and many of these mattresses are made up of two or more layers of different materials, each of which contributes its own qualities. There may also be gel- or air-filled cells within the mattress. Sectional mattresses and overlays are available to go with profiling beds. There is more on pressure relief in our specialist section - please use the link at the bottom of the page. Safety Rails
Soft, bumper-style bed surrounds can provide all-round protection for anyone at risk of falling, and eliminate the risks of entrapment and suffocation at the same time. It is important that the individual needs of the bed's occupant are carefully assessed and a system provided that meet those needs. Safety rails should never be used to try and stop someone climbing out of bed: they risk worse injury by trying to climb over them. IncontinenceMattresses and bedding with waterproof covers are available, but may be unpleasant, causing excessive sweating and making a noise as the user moves in bed. Washable or disposable bed pads, which lie on top of the sheet and absorb urine, may be more sympathetic. Some of the pressure relief mattresses also have a facility to draw urine away from the user's body.
There is more on incontinence in our specialist section - please use the link at the bottom of the page.
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