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Looking after relatives at Christmas: Grandmother and grandfather, both dressed in burgundy, holding a baby girl with a flower and a young boy in a hoodie. Sat outside next to a garden umbrella.

(But not too much…)

Looking after relatives with mobility requirements over Christmas

Christmas. Love it or hate it, we think it has a huge plus side. Sure, it’s a time of cheesy music and over-indulgence, but it also comes with a sprinkling of something rather special: it’s a time that people reconnect. Families come together. If you have relatives with mobility requirements we

It may be fleeting, but most people get a chance to spend some quality time with family or friends over the Christmas period, even it is just by text message, phone or face-time call. Perhaps you’re lucky enough to visit others this year, or perhaps people are visiting you. There’s plenty of time for that emergency bathroom clean-up and the purchase of yet more white towels, but if you’re having parents or elderly relatives to stay, there are a few other things you’ll need to consider too.

Depending on the mobility of your relative, you may need to make small adjustments to your home. Simply follow our three-step program of preparation and make sure these lovely visits go without a hitch. Looking after relatives at Christmas needn’t be hard work if you remember these three steps.

Step one: Sitting

This is something we do a lot of at Christmas, so make sure there is a comfortable chair they can sit in — that they can also get up from easily. Something not too low to the ground, and with a supportive cushion. This goes for both the living room and the dining table. Allocate them a dining position with plenty of space to move the chair out from the table if at all possible. If you have mobility issues it’s next to impossible to squeeze into a tight corner when also struggling to sit. Look into hiring a fireside chair with a lumbar-support cushion, or even a rise and recline chair if necessary.

Step two: Moving around

It’s lovely to have the house festooned with Christmas cheer, but make sure you’ve not inadvertently created a stressful obstacle course. Keep hallways and doorways free of clutter especially at floor-level. Make sure banisters, sideboards and other furniture that may be used as support when moving around are accessible and not covered with fairy lights or precarious decorations. A range of walking frames can be hired if needed.

Step three: Sleeping

You may be limited on space, but no-one wants to feel like they are a prisoner in their bed or bedroom. Putting an elderly relative on a low sofa-bed may mean they will struggle to get out of it which can be stressful for nighttime toilet trips as well as simply getting up in the morning. Ensure the route to and from the bathroom is clear and there is support if needed for the toilet and shower/bath. Items such as bath-lifts can be easily fitted to most baths, and support rails are also simple to install.

Having elderly visitors can be daunting, but with a little planning, you can ensure they feel as comfortable and welcome in your home as they do in their usual residence. It’s worth the time and effort so you can all get on with enjoying precious time together at this hectic time of year.

After all, the only dramas at Christmas should be on the TV, and the only accidents should be mistaking an orange cream for a toffee penny. But don’t even joke about that…

Hospital and Homecare Beds

Can you hire a hospital bed?

The simple answer is Yes! There are a wide range of hospital beds and homecare beds available for hire. By hiring you can keep the bed for as long as you need it, without the large capital cost of purchasing or the servicing and maintaining a bed. The cost of short rental is much less than purchasing one, plus when you no longer need the bed, you can simply return it so you don’t have to worry about storing it either.

Can you hire a hospital bed for home?

Hospital bed rental offers a great solution for those wanting a hospital bed and mattress, without the commitment of owning and maintaining one. Important things to check when hiring a hospital bed for home is the access. It will be important to select a model that can be dismantled, if necessary, to bring it into your home or up/down any stairs. When renting a homecare hospital bed from Mobility Hire our team of delivery drivers will deliver and assemble the bed in your chosen location. Taking away any of the stress or worry from yourself.

How much does it cost to hire a hospital bed?

Hiring a hospital bed is a much more affordable way of enjoying the benefits they bring, without the large initial out lay and ongoing maintenance costs that purchasing a profiling bed has. Our hospital beds can be hired on a week by week basis for as long as you want, with pricing as low as £22 per week. We also hire a range of accessories to customise the hospital bed depending on the user’s requirements such as mattresses, bed loops, side rails, overhead trapeze, bed bumpers, bed extensions and overbed table.

What is the best hospital bed for home use?

When choosing a hospital bed for use at home it is important to think about what the person using the bed requires:

Do hospital and homecare beds need side rails fitted to the bed so that they are safe and secure in it?

Most rental models have side rails as an optional extra, it is worth checking with a member of our team if you are not sure.

Do they need to have removable head and foot boards so that they can watch tv, interact socially with people and for care duties to be carried out?

Not all hospital bed models can be used without head and foot boards fitted, our homecare hospital bed can be used with all its functions without having to have the head or footboard fitted.

Do you want the bed to be set up on the ground floor or does it need to go up a flight of stairs?

If this is the case you will need to look at a model that can be dismantled into separate pieces so it can be carried up stairs and then reassembled in your desired location.

Does the user require a wider bed than a standard single?

For the larger user or those requiring a bit more space in bed than a standard 3ft single, we offer a range of bariatric beds. These bariatric hospital beds offer a wider mattress platform of up to 4ft.

What size sheets are used on a hospital bed?

Standard hospital beds are normally a standard 3ft single bed size. For these hospital beds you can use standard 3ft single bedding and sheets. Most of the bariatric hospital beds are 4ft wide, in which case you might be better to use bedding and sheets that are designed to be used on a double bed instead.

Why would someone need a homecare hospital bed?

Hospital and homecare beds are incredibly useful tools for helping to keep relatives comfortable and safe at home or in a care environment.

For those who need a bit of help getting in and out of bed, due to reduced balance and mobility, the adjustable height of hospital beds makes this safer and easier.

Hospital beds have electrically powered functions which can elevate and recline the person laying in the bed. By adjusting the mattress position of the hospital bed, you can create a safe and comfortable sleeping space.

Hospital beds also support good care techniques and make carrying out care tasks stress and strain free. The adjustable height supports carers by offering healthy back positions to stop them bending and straining.

Can I put a regular mattress on hospital and homecare bed?

Most standard bed mattresses aren’t suitable for use with a hospital bed. Hospital beds require a mattress that can bend and move with the adjustable mechanism of the bed.

Our hospital and homecare beds mattresses are made from combustion modified high resilient foam within a sewn, vapour permeable and waterproof cover. This allows the mattress to bend and flex with the movement of the hospital bed while still offering the user different levels of support, depending on the selected mattress. We also offer a range of dynamic air mattress replacement systems for hire, to be used on hospital beds, for users who require higher pressure relief.

Category: Blog

Deck the halls…