A care bed is a bed specially adapted to the needs of people requiring care and their caregivers. Care beds, such as those used in hospitals, nursing homes, and home care, can be individually adapted and expanded in functionality with various accessories. They make it easier for caregivers to look after bedridden people and also offer patients several benefits.
Since care beds are considered medical aids, health insurance may cover part of the cost, which also facilitates their use in home care.
In this article, we explain what a care bed is and introduce various accessories, some of which can also be used with standard beds. Simply click a line to jump to the desired section.
- When is a bed a care bed?
- Care bed and hospital bed - what is the difference?
- Buy a care bed yourself or borrow one from your health insurance provider?
- What benefits does a care bed offer?
- Convert a standard bed into a care bed
- Accessories for care beds
When is a bed a care bed?
A care bed is specifically intended for people who cannot leave the bed independently. Health insurance providers define care beds as bed systems with devices that make caring for the occupants easier. These include, for example, electric motors that allow the lying surface to be raised and tilted. Care beds generally have a special support frame that allows the head and foot sections of the bed to be adjusted separately.
The bed itself is usually equipped with casters, making it easy to move and turn. Aids such as bed shorteners, side padding, and safety rails or lifting poles can be used optimally with this type of special bed. In many cases, standard beds can be upgraded to care beds - more on this later.
If a standard bed is only slightly modified with a raised, adjustable frame to make getting in and out easier, it is referred to as a senior bed. However, a senior bed is intended only for convenience and is not considered a care bed or hospital bed.
Care beds in hospitals are considered hospital beds
Care bed and hospital bed - what is the difference?
Hospital beds and care beds differ only on paper. The main issue is when the health insurance provider can contribute to or cover the costs. Both variants have adjustable support frames.
Hospital beds normally specifically means the beds in hospitals. Health insurance providers cover the cost of hospital beds regardless of the level of care. For this to apply, the hospital beds must be suitable for people with disabilities and must specifically compensate for or prevent the patient's disabilities and generally contribute to treatment success.
Care beds are the beds used in nursing homes or home care. The basic requirement for the care insurance fund to cover the costs is a recognized level of care. Section 40 of the Eleventh Book of the Social Code (SGB XI) additionally defines three requirements, at least one of which must be met. The care bed is needed because it:
- significantly facilitates caring for the person concerned.
- helps alleviate the patient's symptoms.
- enables the patient to regain greater independence despite being bedridden.
Buy a care bed yourself or borrow one from your health insurance provider?
Care beds are medical aids - cost coverage by the care insurance fund is an option. A doctor can issue you a prescription for this. For several years now, you can also request an assessment by the Medical Service of the Health Insurance Funds (MDK). Private health insurance providers also offer assessments of the level of care through their service, MEDICPROOF.
The assessors determine whether a level of care is justified and recommend which level of care is appropriate. They also assess which aids are needed to support care. The assessment service can therefore also recommend a care bed and, if necessary, special additional equipment.
If the care insurance fund covers the costs, it lends you a hygienically flawless, fully functional care bed. If the bed is no longer needed at some point, the insurance fund takes it back.
Alternatively, you can purchase or rent a care bed privately. With most providers, however, the annual rental cost is already close to the average price of a care bed, which is 800 to 1,000 euros. If it is foreseeable that the bed will only be needed for a limited time, renting may make more sense. If a lot of special accessories are required or a completely new model is desired, the purchase price can easily rise to several thousand euros.
If a care bed is used, it must be inspected once a year by a service provider certified under §4MPBetreibV. It is tested for functionality and any safety defects. If you borrowed the bed from the insurance fund, it also pays for the inspection. If you purchased the care bed yourself, you are responsible for arranging and paying for the inspection.
Care beds can be adjusted to various lying and sitting positions
What benefits does a care bed offer?
A care bed offers various benefits for patients and caregivers. Its height-adjustable lying surface makes getting in and out easier. Depending on their needs, patients can sit up independently or raise their feet if the bed has a multi-section, adjustable support frame. Of course, this requires patients to be able to use the remote control.
- Caregivers can reach the patient more easily and perform care tasks such as washing, feeding, or dressing and undressing in bed in a more advantageous body position. Transferring people requiring care to a wheelchair or from a wheelchair back into bed is also easier.
- Since it is equipped with casters, the care bed can be moved freely around the room. The wheels can be locked so that the bed remains securely in the desired location. This means a care bed can be moved to the window in good weather. In home care, temporarily "relocating" to other rooms is also conceivable if the space and door widths allow it.
- Raised side guards prevent patients from falling out of bed while asleep. Additional side padding can be attached to prevent injuries or pressure sores.
- Care beds are made from durable materials with smooth surfaces that are easy to clean and disinfect.
Note that the support frame with its motors and components is very heavy. A care bed can therefore easily weigh 100 kilos or more. If patients themselves are excessively heavy, an especially robust bariatric care bed may be required. These are also significantly wider than conventional care beds to accommodate the increased space required in cases of morbid obesity.
Convert a standard bed into a care bed
Standard single beds can normally also be converted into care beds. Good support frames for care beds cost around 800 to 1,000 euros. Naturally, particularly luxurious models can also be installed if you are willing to spend considerably more.
If the cost of converting your bed is too high, you can still look for a used care bed. These are offered second-hand on various online platforms. However, you should only consider listings that are very well documented and include meaningful images. Otherwise, it is difficult to assess the condition of a used care bed.
Lifting poles and other accessories are considered medical aids
Accessories for care beds
Care beds can be supplemented with numerous accessories and expanded in functionality. As soon as accessories are needed to make care easier, health insurance providers normally also cover the cost of the additional equipment. Many of these accessories and everyday aids can of course also be used with standard beds to make life and lying more comfortable.
Patients can pull themselves up gradually using these bed ladders
Bed lifting poles: These lifting aids consist of a sturdy frame with a handle hanging above the bed. They are therefore also somewhat macabrely referred to as "bed gallows." Bed lifting poles can be set up anywhere - for example, as a standing aid next to armchairs or chairs.
Alternatively, a so-called bed ladder can be used. This rope ladder has several rungs that patients can use to pull themselves up.
Side rail padding: Side rails prevent patients from falling out of the care bed. The easy-to-clean side rail padding is attached to the rails to prevent occupants from bumping against hard surfaces. This padding is recommended for restless sleepers and for patients whose conditions cause them to lose control over their movements.
Bed tables and bed serving tables: These aids are used for eating and drinking comfortably in bed, but can also serve as a surface for writing, using a laptop, or similar activities. The bed serving table is placed in the bed, including its table legs, in front of the patient sitting upright. Bed tables such as the NOVA model from Careline are flexible, space-saving designs whose tabletops can be folded down and which can be moved freely around the room on casters.
You can also find tilting and folding bed tables here in the shop
Step stools: These stools, equipped with non-slip feet and treads, shorten the distance when getting into and out of bed. They are available in many variants and are also suitable for assisting with household tasks such as cleaning windows or taking items in and out of cupboards.
Care mattresses: In cases of permanent bed rest, special mattresses are needed to prevent conditions such as pressure ulcers. An alternating-pressure mattress contains air chambers between which air is pumped back and forth evenly. This prevents the pressure caused by lying down from being applied continuously to one area of the skin.
