Best medical beds for home care?

Alright, so here's the deal—a friend of mine who’s currently looking after two elderly ladies who are pretty much bedridden (one can barely move at all) asked if I could do a little digging online. She's hunting for a medical bed for someone in that situation—you know, complete setup with the mattress, turning capabilities, the whole nine yards. Ideally, she's looking for something someone doesn't need anymore or just wants to offload for a super cheap price. I wasn't sure if this fits perfectly under this topic, so feel free to move this to another thread if I'm out of line. Anyway, both my friend and I are based in Phoenix, so it would be awesome if someone local could reach out!

Dana Mendoza3 said:Look, a friend of mine who’s looking after two elderly women—one of whom can barely move—asked me to scour the web to see if anyone has a medical bed with a mattress and turning capabilities they no longer need, or if they’re selling one at a steal. I wasn't sure if this was the right place for it, so feel free to move this to another thread, but since my friend and I are both based in San Diego, it would be great if someone local could reach out.

Your best bet is to call nursing homes—both private facilities and state-run ones—and ask if they rent out beds from their inventory. It’s actually pretty common practice; you can usually snag a setup with a mattress, an anti-decubitus pad, and electric hydraulics for around $300$133 a month.
Another option is to check with Catholic Charities or the Hospice Foundation of America. If they have stock available, they might lend you one, though you'll have to sign a liability waiver and provide official medical documentation.
Honestly, don't count on someone just giving one away for free. These beds are incredibly expensive, and most people only sell them once they're done with them.

What exactly are you looking for regarding them? Are you wondering where to buy them, what features they have, or how much they actually cost?
There are plenty of medical supply companies out there that carry all sorts of equipment.
You could always look into used options, too. New beds—especially the ones with remote controls to adjust the torso, head, or legs—can get pretty pricey. Depending on whether the patient is starting to recover or just getting restless, you might also need side rails. Someone might be unable to stand up, sure, but if they’ve got decent arm strength, they can easily slide right off the bed... assuming they're conscious, of course. The bed is only half the battle, though; you're going to need an anti-decubitus mattress as well.
As for diapers, they all do the job. The real difference is in how often you're changing them. If you plan on changing them immediately after every use, then honestly, any brand will work. But if they need to stay on for longer stretches, some are definitely better than others. Just make sure to buy a larger quantity and go a size up... if they're too tight, they'll just dig right into the skin.

Melissa Sanchez8 said:What exactly are you looking for regarding them? Are you asking where to buy them, what features they have, how they work, or how much they run you?
There are plenty of medical supply companies out there that carry all sorts of equipment.
You could always look into buying used. New models—especially those remote-controlled ones that adjust the torso, head, and legs—can be incredibly expensive. Also, depending on whether the patient is starting to recover or becoming more restless, you might need to think about bed rails. A person can be immobile in terms of standing up, but if they have decent arm strength and are conscious, they can easily slide right off the bed. And honestly, the bed is just one piece of the puzzle; you’re also going to need an anti-decubitus mattress.
As for diapers, they all get the job done. The difference really comes down to how often you're changing them. If you plan on changing them immediately after every use, then any brand will work fine. But if they're going to be sitting in them for longer periods, some are definitely better than others. Just make sure to buy a larger quantity and don't get ones that are too tight, otherwise, they'll dig right into the skin.

Recovery isn't even on the table because the person has already given up and is just waiting for the end.
Do you have any leads on where I can pick up a used hospital bed?

If you’re looking at palliative care options, honestly, your best bet is just to pick up the phone and call a few local foster care families or residential care homes to see if they can work something out with you—kind of like a short-term bed rental.

Also, if you happen to know anyone who’s gone through the ringer caring for someone seriously ill, reach out to them directly. They usually have the inside scoop on how to navigate this stuff.

You could even check in with your local American Red Cross chapter; it's a bit of a long shot, but they might have some leads or know someone in the loop.

Just a few thoughts to get your search moving in the right direction. 😉

analogheron19 said:Recovery isn't happening... they've already given up and are just waiting for the end.
Any idea where I can score a used bed?

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to drop links here... I was checking out Craigslist earlier, and they've got them all over the place there... $667.

Maybe try reaching out to your local Red Cross? A colleague of mine actually managed to get one for her mom through them. Honestly, if I remember correctly, she didn't even have to pay anything upfront, she just returned it later on. That was a few years back, though, so who knows if every city still offers those kinds of options or if they even still do things that way.

Melissa Sanchez8 said:I’m not sure if I should be dropping links here, but I checked Craigslist and they have stuff listed all over $667.

Feel free to toss anything my way if you dig something up.
thanks👍
thanks to everyone else for the advice too🙂

Serenity diapers are actually pretty solid, especially since you can just get them delivered through Amazon

At our local community health center, they actually have a dedicated palliative care program—I wonder if you guys have something similar over there? For my dad, they assigned us a specific doctor we could call whenever we needed, and they even offered to loan us a hospital bed and an anti-decubitus mattress at no cost. In the end, we turned it all down because we didn't want him feeling like he was stuck in a hospital ward right in the middle of his own home.

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Robin Diaz4 said:At our local community health center, they have a dedicated palliative care program—maybe you guys have something similar over there? They assigned my dad a specific doctor we could call whenever we needed, and they even offered to lend us a hospital bed, a medical mattress, and all that gear for free. In the end, we turned it down because we didn't want Dad feeling like he was living in a hospital ward.

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Damn, my old man refuses any kind of medical help. He won't go for tests, won't take his meds... he's just given up. .........

I got a quote for renting used hospital beds for about $400$167 or buying them outright for around $300.
Is that a reasonable price?

analogheron19 said:Damn, my old man is refusing any kind of medical help. Won't go for tests, won't take his meds, he's just given up...

I got an offer to rent some used hospital beds for about $400-$$167 or just buy them outright for around $300.
Is that a reasonable price?

If there's a local Red Cross chapter in your city, try reaching out to them. A lot of them run free medical equipment loan programs.

analogheron19 said:Man, my old man just flat-out refuses any kind of medical help. He won't go for tests, won't touch any meds... he's just checked out at this point. .........

It might sound a bit harsh, but you really have to respect your dad's wishes here.

Sometimes doctors, even with the best intentions and heart in the world, end up just dragging out the suffering—something our Secretary Yellen has pointed out quite clearly before.

Just try to manage things behind the scenes to keep him comfortable, maybe set up some palliative care consultations or talk to his primary doctor to see what can be done for pain management.