hospital bed options

odowd

Hi, I'm sure some folks here have experience with this and might have some suggestions.

We are preparing to move my mom from SNF to assisted living. My brother and I were hoping to get a hospital bed for her in the new facility, because mom's knees are very bad and being able to raise and lower the bed, plus having the handrail, are helpful to her. Additionally, she has swelling in her feet, so being able to raise her feet for the night is also a help.

Unfortunately, the social worker at the SNF said she reviewed mom's medical diagnosis and "there is nothing that would allow a hospital bed to be covered by insurance."

So I guess I have three questions:

1. Is there another pathway to getting Medicare to approve a hospital bed?
2. If not, does anyone have recommendations for one if we decided to pay out of pocket?
3. Or are there recommendations for setups that you have found effective with a regular bed and adaptive equipment?

loveskitties

You should contact her PCP to see if he/she will place an order for the hospital bed due to issues you state. If so you will then get past the pay obstacle.

Most cities have Medical Supply stores which carry hospital beds, some can be rented instead of purchased.

All that being said, is your mom capable of operating the bed on her own, or is someone else going to have to do that for her? If someone else, you will need to address with the new facility...doubt that assisted living place will have staff to do this. It could also be an issue if legs are raised during night and she needs to get up for any reason.

Jo C.

It should be alright to get such a bed. It is not up to the NH Social Worker and the, "diagnosis."

What you need is a physician to write a note that the patient needs the head of the bed to be elevated for ease of breathing, and then to write an order for a semi-electric bed with side rails for it to be covered by Medicare. NOTE: Be sure he writes that note that states she gets short of breath and needs to have the head of the bed elevated for ease of facilitating breathing. When we reached a problem issue for my mother to get coverage for a bed, that is what was documented and ordered and we had no problem with Medicare covering: So once again:

• Documentation by the MD that she has shortness of breath and needs the head of her bed to be raised for ease of breathing
• Also, will need a written order from the MD or taken by a nurse from the doctor by phone for an order for a semi-electric bed WITH side rails. Must include the order for side rails; otherwise the beds do not usually come with them.
• Good luck, hope all goes well.
• Sorry; could not stop the dots; they just keep coming . . . tried to number, but got that instead. Sigh!
• J.

harshedbuzz

If you do have to pay out of pocket, check FB Marketplace or Craigslist.

They often have private individuals selling them at a reasonable cost.

HB

odowd

Thank you all for this. If we go through her PCP, will there be any issues related to the fact that she hasn't seen my mom in some time? (about two years since last appointment)

mommyandme (m&m)

I was able to sell the hospital bed and alternating air mattress we used easily on Craigslist. I also sold moms power recliner on Facebook market place. We have a used medical equipment store nearby called Good Health Will that sells electric hospital beds for $300. We bought ours through the DME company that hospice ordered her bed from after they discharged her.

I was thinking that a medical doctor would need to prescribe a hospital bed for insurance to consider it. If your mom is needing more assistance maybe Memory Care might suit her better.

Before hospital bed and even with it we used pillows to raise her feet and knees. Mom had a small rail that secured around the mattress for stability which she used daily to help her sit up when she was still able…like this one:https://www.walmart.com/ip/Able-Life-Bed-Rail-Bedside-Mighty-Assist-Rail-Portable-Bed-Assist-Bar/15751849?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=101002526&adid=2222222222715751849_101002526_149606269596_18606165354&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=660012414866&wl4=pla-1836112789333&wl5=9028897&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=128614232&wl11=online&wl12=15751849_101002526&veh=sem&gclid=CjwKCAjwsvujBhAXEiwA_UXnAAIaYH56mElkkTehCtpxEmXQt8f8yYjJNhw_QoAI2a4pVVZMUnCcnBoCc_4QAvD_BwE

odowd

Ugh, @Victoria2020 that sounds awful. Hoping our experience will be a little better.

@mommyandme (m&m) mom's issues on this matter, are related to her knees, not her Alzheimer's. When she was home we did have a rail similar to the one you shared, but we found it a little less secure/stable than we'd like.

We are consulting her PCP tomorrow to see if we can get the order that way. Fingers crossed!

HollyBerry

We were in a similar situation with my mom's knees, but she refused a hospital bed at first. We ended up getting the narrowest box spring I'd ever seen, which lowered the height of the bed by about 6" and made it easier and safer for her to get in and out.

mommyandme (m&m)

My moms issues were with back, knees and Alzheimer’s, the combination is wretched.