Bariatric beds

The term bariatric refers to an area of the medical profession that is concerned with the care and health of significantly overweight or obese people. Over the last two decades this area has started to encompass a range of health and medical equipment that include Bariatric beds. The bariatric bed is a variation on the therapeutic bed.

Bariatric beds are specifically designed and manufactured for the larger person. Their design takes account of both the weight and extra size of very large people and aims to offer them the most comfortable and supportive night's sleep possible. These beds are designed with the important orthopedic objectives of balanced support, the avoidance of localised pressure points, and maximum comfort.

What bariatric beds also do is take account of the weight and body mass that a large or obese individual may have and provide a suitable, strong and robust bed frame. This frame must be able to adequately sustain not just the weight of the person, but also the structural stresses caused by night time movement and getting into and out of the bed.

Design features - bariatric

The features to look for in a good quality bariatric bed include –

Extra large size, typically in the width dimension.
Extra mattress padding - which will normally result in a very thick and supportive mattress.

The weight capacity of bariatric beds can vary, however most of these beds can support a human weight of either 400 pounds or 500 pounds and some extra heavy duty beds can accommodate even greater weights.

For people for whom mobility and movement is greatly impacted by their weight and size, some other bariatric bed features may be beneficial.

Bed trapeze

The first of these options is the presence of a bed trapeze that can be used by the person occupying the bed to help lift, lower, or adjust their position in the bed. The fitting of these trapeze frames may require some modification to any wall or ceiling to which they will be mechanically connected (if they are not independent).

Alternatively, many bed trapeze frames are free-standing and they can be positioned behind or to the side of a bed, or in some cases they are part of the bed frame itself. When this is the case the trapeze supports will extend up from the four legs of the bed to create a suspended frame above the bed (like a four poster bed). This type of trapeze often has a sliding rail that allows the bed trapeze grip handle to be positioned in the most advantageous holding and hoisting point. From a bariatric perspective this type of aid can be very beneficial.

Adjustable bariatric beds

A further way of enhancing a bariatric bed's comfort and practicality is to have adjustability of its sleeping surface. Many bariatric beds are electrically adjustable and use a remote control unit to change the incline or slope of the upper and sometimes the lower sections of the bed. Many also allow the height of the bed to be lifted and lowered using motors.

The advantage of an adjustable bed is multi-fold. Firstly, the bed can be adjusted so that the optimum level of comfort can be achieved. Since everyone has different requirements and demands of a bed, this type of adjustment is the only way of allowing that perfect resting or sleeping position to be found.

Secondly, raising the upper body section of an adjustable bariatric bed to its maximum incline can make getting up out of the bed and then sitting down back into it much easier. For many larger people, getting out of bed from a seated position is comparatively simple, however lifting oneself from the lying to the sitting position can be difficult and physically demanding. The electrically adjustable bed goes some way towards solving this challenge.

Finally, if the person in question has to spend prolonged periods of time in bed, then it is very probable that a carer or family member has to look after them. This will involve a number of care issues, many of which require reaching and stretching over the bed ridden person. With an electrically adjustable bariatric bed the bed can be lifted and lowered, or the incline of the upper and lower mattress sections inclined and reclined to make care giving easier. This is beneficial to both the carer and the dignity of the person in the bed.

Bariatric mattresses

Bariatric mattresses come in a number of forms, however the majority of modern bariatric beds utilise a memory foam mattress. This memory foam material is particularly good at shaping itself to the curves of any human body and it is very good at preventing ailments like bed sore and pressure grazes which can be troublesome for bariatric patients.

Bariatric mattresses are often covered in easy clean or wipe-off fabrics and they are highly durable.