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 several benefits to the patients themselves.
Since care beds are considered medical aids, health insurance funds 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 present various accessories, some of which can also be used with standard beds. Simply click on a line to jump to the section you want.
- 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 fund?
- What are the benefits of a care bed?
- Convert a standard bed into a care bed
- Accessories for care beds
When is a bed a care bed?
A care bed is intended specifically for people who cannot leave the bed independently. Health insurance funds define care beds as bed systems with devices that make caring for occupants easier. These include, for example, electric motors that allow the mattress platform to be raised and tilted. Care beds generally have a special insert frame that enables the head and foot sections of the bed to be adjusted separately.
The bed itself is usually fitted with casters, making it easy to move and turn. Aids such as bed shorteners, side padding, protective rails, or lifting aids can be used optimally with such a specialized 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 called a senior bed. However, a senior bed is intended solely 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 fund can contribute to or cover the costs. Both variants have adjustable insert frames.
Hospital beds generally specifically refer to beds in hospitals. Health insurance funds cover the cost of hospital beds regardless of the care level. To qualify, the hospital beds must be suitable for people with disabilities and must explicitly compensate for or prevent the patient's disabilities and generally support successful treatment.
Care beds are the beds used in nursing homes or home care. The basic prerequisite for the care insurance fund to cover the costs is a recognized care level. 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 discomfort.
- enables the patient to regain greater independence despite being bedridden.
Buy a care bed yourself or borrow one from your health insurance fund?
Care beds are medical aids - the care insurance fund may contribute to the cost. 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 companies also offer care-level assessments through their service, MEDICPROOF.
The assessors determine whether a care level is justified and recommend which care level is appropriate. They also assess which aids are needed to support care. The assessment service can therefore also recommend a care bed and, where necessary, special additional equipment.
If the care insurance fund covers the costs, it lends you a hygienically clean, fully functional care bed. If the bed is no longer needed at some point, the fund takes it back.
Alternatively, you can purchase or rent a care bed privately. With most providers, however, the annual rental cost already approaches 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 needed or an entirely 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 must arrange and pay for the inspection yourself.
Care beds can be adjusted to various lying and sitting positions
What are the benefits of a care bed?
A care bed offers various benefits for patients and caregivers. Its height-adjustable mattress platform 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 insert frame. Naturally, this requires the patients to be able to use the remote control.
- Caregivers can reach the patient more easily and perform care activities such as washing, feeding, or dressing and undressing in bed in a more advantageous body position. Transferring people requiring care to a wheelchair or back into bed is also easier.
- Because it is fitted 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 when the weather is nice. In home care, it may also be possible to temporarily "relocate" it to other rooms if space and door width permit.
- Raised side rails prevent patients from falling out of bed while asleep. Additional side padding can be attached to prevent injuries or pressure points.
- Care beds are made from durable materials with smooth surfaces that are easy to clean and disinfect.
Note that the insert frame, with its motors and components, is very heavy. A care bed can therefore easily weigh 100 kilograms or more. If the patients themselves weigh an excessive amount, an especially sturdy bariatric care bed may be necessary. 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 insert 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 offers that are very well documented and accompanied by meaningful photos. Otherwise, it is difficult to assess the condition of a used care bed.
Lifting aids 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 funds generally 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 everyday life and lying more comfortable.
Patients can pull themselves up step by step using these bed ladders
Bed trapezes: These lifting aids consist of a sturdy frame with a handgrip suspended above the bed. They are therefore also somewhat macabrely referred to as "bed gallows." Bed trapezes 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 hitting hard surfaces. This padding is recommended for restless sleepers and patients with conditions that cause them to lose control of their movements.
Bed tables and bed serving tables: These aids are used for comfortable eating and drinking in bed, but can also serve as a surface for writing, using a laptop, or similar activities. The bed serving table is placed in bed, including its legs, in front of the patient sitting upright. Bed tables such as the NOVA model by Careline are flexible, space-saving constructions with fold-down tabletops that 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 assistance with household tasks such as window cleaning or taking items in and out of cabinets.
Care mattresses: In cases of permanent bedriddenness, special mattresses are necessary to prevent problems such as pressure ulcers. An alternating-pressure mattress contains air chambers between which air is pumped back and forth evenly. This prevents the pressure from lying down from being applied continuously to one area of skin.
