Memory Foam Mattress for Hospital Bed / Hospital Foam Mattress

What is a Foam Hospital Bed Mattress?

A hospital foam mattress is made of hypoallergenic memory foam to help users be more comfortable compared to the experience received with an innerspring mattress. They’re made to alleviate pressure that is commonly placed on heavier points of the body which are prone to developing bedsores. These pressure points include the hips, shoulders, side, legs, and back. These mattresses are often used as bariatric foam mattresses since they can usually help to provide heavier patients with mild and moderate pressure relief, reducing friction and pressure ulcers during their bedridden times. Some home hospital bed users combine their bariatric foam hospital bed mattress with innerspring mattresses to provide additional support and comfort with their current mattresses. 

How Foam Hospital Bed Mattresses are Made

Foam mattresses are often made with layered foam. Each layer has a foam of a different density to offer more firmness than a regular egg-shell pad would have. Many are made of hypoallergenic materials such as cellulose to ensure that they are completely latex free. Other options are made from polyurethane for the same purpose. The foam can help to eliminate moisture and absorb perspiration. For other waterproofing solutions, one may need to add a mattress overlay. These are sometimes padded with an extra layer of foam or air, themselves, to improve circulation or prevent and heal bedsores. 

Benefits of Foam Hospital Mattresses

The use of bariatric hospital bed mattresses is very common in household in-home care applications, and for good reasons. There are numerous benefits that a person can glean from using a medical memory foam mattress, both alone and in conjunction with their current innerspring mattress. Most of our mattresses are thick enough to be recommended for use by themselves, so a user doesn’t need an additional mattress underneath it. Some of the benefits of a medical foam mattress are: 

Lightweight

Compared to other mattresses on the market, foam mattresses represent some of the lightest hospital-grade mattresses out there. Therapeutic foam mattresses are about 6 inches thick but only weigh anywhere from 10.5 to 25 pounds. This is lighter than even most innerspring mattresses, and depending on the brand and type of foam that is used, the beds can be denser to provide a firmer place to rest. 

Promote Healthy Circulation

Since they promote positive alignment and alleviate pressure on the joints and spine (more on that below), a bariatric foam mattress can promote healthy circulation of blood throughout the body and to the skin. When combined with full-electric hospital beds or even semi-electric beds, users can achieve maximum comfort during any positioning alignment. Further, they can experience additional support to improve blood flow throughout their bodies. 

Reduce Pressure on Key Points

While most bariatric users glean particular benefits from these mattresses, the elderly and just about anyone who is bed-ridden for long periods of time can leverage the positive pressure reduction benefits of these models. Part of the reason is because they help to reduce the amount of pressure on the specific joints of the body that put the most weight-bearing down on the mattress. By reducing the amount of weight that is being pushed against, not only do they help with bedsore treatment, but they can even reduce inflammation and joint pain. 

Help to Regulate Body Temperature

Bed-ridden patients often have trouble with bedsores and pressure ulcers in part due to the excessive heat that pressure points place on their mattresses when they’re bed-bound for long hours of the day. Foam mattresses are not a solid surface like some other mattresses – they are made to have millions of microscopic air pockets and a porous surface that help to wick away moisture and heat. They can help to keep a user’s skin cool while at the same time helping to keep a patient warm enough so they can stay healthy. 

Help to Reduce and Prevent Bedsores

Of course, one of the primary reasons why memory foam mattresses for hospital beds are used is because they can help users who are susceptible to bedsores. By providing all of the above benefits, bedsores in their first stages can easily be treated and even prevented. This is why it is so crucial to catch and treat them early. Further, as mentioned earlier, since bariatric users and seniors are at a high risk of developing these sores, these models prove to be a great way to help them get the most comfort and pressure sore relief without the need to purchase an air mattress. 

Improve Spinal Alignment

As is widely recognized, foam mattresses provide an exceptional amount of spinal alignment. Most of our back and body pain actually derives from our spine and then simply radiates or “refers” to other areas. Therefore, foam mattresses can provide an excellent osteopathic solution to encourage positive alignment. More mobile users of foam mattresses also often report less stiffness in their back, neck, and joints. 

An Affordable Solution

Other pressure relief solutions exist, but they’re more expensive. A medical-grade memory foam mattress is much cheaper than that of an air bed mattress system and promotes comfort as well. These beds may not be for everyone, but for those who suffer from frequent pain due to chronic conditions, these may be a better and more affordable solution if the user has some mobility or is able to control their positioning themselves. While foam pads may cost as little as $30, most mattresses cost around $150-$683. This is still well under the price of low air loss and alternating pressure systems currently on the market.

AvaCare Medical wants to make sure you’re able to get the best memory foam mattress for a hospital bed that you can find! All of our mattresses are shipped free and can be ordered and shipped in most cases within 24 hours. If you have any questions, we want to help address those, so don’t hesitate to chat with an agent on the website or give us a call at 1-877-813-7799 during business hours! You can always send us an email regardless of the time or day, however, and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can!