What Is the Difference Between a Hospital Bed and a Nursing Home Bed?

Hospitals and nursing homes often contain similar equipment depending on the needs of the patients in the long-term care facility, and many nursing facilities will send patients to local hospitals when they encounter a medical problem that needs emergency care. The average cost of a hospital stay is $10,700, although since many nursing home patients are covered by insurance, these stays are often covered. While both hospitals and nursing homes have similarities and work together, when it comes to beds, there are some notable differences between a hospital bed and a nursing home bed.

1. Size

One difference between a hospital bed and a nursing home bed is that nursing home beds tend to come in a larger variety of sizes depending on the needs of the patients. These include larger beds for bariatric patients which otherwise aren’t readily found in hospitals unless specially ordered. Hospital beds tend to be one standard size to help with mobility.

2. Raising and Lowering Beds

Another feature that many nursing home beds have is the ability to be raised and lowered depending on what a patient needs. A lower bed, for example, can be better for patients with lower mobility or in memory care to help prevent potentially dangerous falls. A hospital bed often cannot be lowered or raised, although gurneys for transport often can be.

3. Rails and Accessories

Another notable difference between hospital beds and nursing home beds is that beds in nursing homes often don’t come with rails unless they are needed. Different types of bed rails can also be purchased depending on a patient’s needs, along with accessories such as handsets, safety locks, mattresses, wall bumpers, and overbed tables. Because these beds are supposed to be used for a longer-term than many hospital beds, they tend to be more customizable to ensure that a patient has everything they need to be safe and comfortable.

While hospitals and nursing homes often share a lot of key equipment and work together to provide healthcare to aging patients, they do have many differences, particularly when it comes to beds. These differences are essential to understand if you are looking to purchase beds so that you can find the right type for your facility.