The best mattress for a hospital bed can be extremely beneficial.
It can prevent pressure and bed sores from forming or progressing, all while providing pain-free support for extended periods.
The best hospital mattress is fluid-resistant, straightforward to clean, able to provide ample airflow and breathability for the user, and is easy to enter and exit.
There are a variety of great hospital bed mattresses available on the market.
Some have a slight edge over others based on their features, price, warranty, and overall ability to ensure they are doing their job at providing the user with the most comfortable sleep-surface possible.
1. Drive Medical Therapeutic 5 Zone Support Mattress
The Drive Medical Therapeutic 5 Zone Support Mattress is the best hospital bed mattress on the market.
This 5-zoned foam mattress features a 210 denier nylon cover, and distributes pressure evenly around the body — providing increased comfort and reduced chances of pressure sores.
The Drive Medical Therapeutic 5 Zone Support Mattress is water-resistant, and has a weight limit of 350 pounds. It’s manufactured from latex-free foam that feels supportive and allows the user to easily switch positions when lying down.
Plus, this mattress has an anti-skid bottom that ensures it’ll stay securely where it is, no matter how much movement occurs on top of it.
This mattress comes with a 3-year warranty package on the mattress itself, and a 1-year warranty package on the cover.
Because of the easily removable, water-resistant nylon cover, maintaining and cleaning this mattress is simple and straightforward.
Size: 80″ x 36″ x 6″
Price: $225
2. Invacare Solace Prevention Therapeutic Foam Mattress
The Invacare Solace Prevention Therapeutic Foam Mattress is another great mattress for bedridden patients.
This mattress comes in a dual-layered design with the primary objective of evenly dispersing the user’s body weight across the mattress’s surface — all with the goal of ensuring no pressure sores begin to form.
The Invacare Solace Prevention Therapeutic Foam Mattress also has a design that provides users with increased support without increasing body temperatures — something that can make the difference between a comfortable sleep and no sleep at all!
This mattress is 6 inches in thickness, but an upgraded model includes an additional 3 inches of support around the perimeter of the mattress.
Plus — for that extra user comfort and support — the Invacare Solace Prevention Therapeutic Foam Mattress’s mid-section is a little firmer when compared to the foot and head portions.
To construct this mattress’s base, vinyl material was used to ensure convenient and quick cleaning.
On top of that, the mattress’s cover consists of water-resistant nylon material that can also be easily cleaned.
This mattress can support up to 350 pounds in body weight. It comes with a 5-year limited warranty on the mattress, and a 1-year warranty on the cover.
Size: 36″ x 80″ x 6″
Price: $300
3. Marathon Advanced Care General Patient and ICU/CCU Hospital Bed Memory Foam Mattress
The Marathon Advanced Care General Patient and ICU/CCU Hospital Bed Memory Foam Mattress is one of the best hospital mattresses to prevent bedsores due to its multi-layered design.
This mattress consists of a thick top layer of memory foam, a nylon cover, and a vinyl bottom.
The nylon cover can be easily removed from the mattress by unzipping each side, while the cover is fluid-resistant due to its polyurethane coating.
This specific coating is made to ensure the cover never gets brittle and will instead remain soft.
Concerned about transport? You’ll be excited to know that this mattress is easy to move because of its carrying handles!
In addition to being fluid-resistant, the cover is free of latex, doesn’t irritate the skin, and is hypoallergenic, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and anti-static. Plus, there’s an additional fluid-resistant barrier between the cover and the foam layer to keep the foam from ever getting wet (if the primary cover is damaged).
This mattress is comprised of 6 inches of foam, and supports up to 300 pounds of body weight. And a 2-inch layer of cool gel memory foam is used to promote a cooler sleep.
Cooling gel memory foam that also helps to distribute the body weight throughout the bed more evenly!
With a high degree of support on either side of the bed — to make getting in and out much more manageable — the Marathon Advanced Care mattress has a 12-month warranty package.
Sizes: 36″ x 72″ x 6″, and 36″ x 84″ x 6″
Price: $495
4. Medacure Pressure Redistribution Foam Hospital Bed Mattress
The Medacure Pressure Redistribution Foam Hospital Bed Mattress is a memory foam mattress for a hospital bed that evenly distributes weight across the bed’s entire surface.
The number of different pressure zones will prevent pressure sores from worsening, and a heel slope is present to reduce pressure in specific areas.
This hospital mattress can be used inside of a home for seniors, as well as by individuals weighing up to 550 pounds.
High-density foam is used and geared toward those with stage 2 pressure ulcers. Users will find that this foam is a little firmer at the foot section of the bed.
Next, the mattress has a base that won’t slip around when users move. It’s also safely secured in place with elastic straps, adding extra stability!
The base layer of the mattress is the most firm, and each level gradually becomes a little softer as you move up to the top, ensuring users find the support offered to be quite satisfying.
The mattress is also water-resistant and very easy to clean and maintain — it has a zipper the mattress is fire-resistant and that sanitation standards are upheld.
The Medacure Pressure Redistribution Foam Hospital Bed Mattress has a 7-year limited warranty.
Sizes: 36″ x 76″ x 6″, and 48″ x 84″ x 6″
Price: $269.95
5. Invacare Softform Premier Fluid-Resistant Homecare Bed Mattress
The Invacare Softform Premier Fluid-Resistant Homecare Bed Mattress is manufactured with a body contouring foam that focuses on support and comfort, while eliminating any excess pressure that can lead to sores. This mattress is commonly recommended for that reason.
Along the edge of the Invacare Softform Mattress is a section of foam that ensures easy entry and exit from the bed.
This goes to show how this mattress was manufactured — with castellated cells designed to allow the user to fully immerse themselves in the bed, all while reducing pressure on the body.
The cover of this mattress is fluid-resistant, very durable, and is easy to clean in the washing machine. It has a warranty of 8 years for the foam mattress and 4 years for the cover, and a limit of 500 pounds.
Size: 36″ x 80″ x 6″
Price: $669
6. Drive Medical Gravity 7 Long Term Care Pressure Redistribution Mattress
The Drive Medical Gravity 7 Long Term Care Pressure Redistribution Mattress is another medical mattress with a multi-layered design that provides great relief from pressure on the body.
It does this using high-density foam, redistributing weight and pressure across the bed’s surface.
The cover of the Drive Medical Gravity 7 Long Term Care Pressure Redistribution Mattress is resistant to fluids, and promotes better hygiene due to its nylon material. Plus, this nylon cover ensures more breathability for the user — leading to a more comfortable and temperature-regulated sleep.
Featuring a heel section to reduce pressure ulcers, this comfortable hospital bed mattress has a total of 3 layers of foam.
The goal of the base layer is to increase the durability and longevity of the mattress, while the top layer ensures that weight is evenly distributed to provide a good measure of support.
Finally, the cover layer is made of a low-shear, tear-resistant material that is extremely easy to clean.
The weight limit of this mattress is 300 pounds, and the warranty provided is 7 years.
Size: 36″ x 80″ x 6″
Price: $410
What Is a Hospital Bed Mattress?
Also called “pressure relief mattresses for a hospital bed”, “medical bed mattresses”, or “nursing home mattresses”, a hospital bed mattress is 36” x 80” (more or less a few inches) in size.
They’re usually the equivalent of a Twin XL mattress, and range from 6 – 8 inches in thickness.
When people are sick at home or terminally ill in the hospital, they require a hospital bed mattress due to the different features they offer.
What Do Hospital Beds Offer?
People dealing with chronic illnesses spend a lot of time in bed, which can lead to painful bed sores and ulcers due to the consistent pressure on certain parts of the body.
This constant pressure can also lead to lowered blood circulation to that area, and block the lymphatic system.
Something not ideal when a person is already dealing with challenges!
A hospital bed is designed to provide pain and pressure relief. The materials used in these mattresses are:
- Gel
- Air
- Foam
- Innerspring
A medical bed mattress is water-resistant and antimicrobial. They are also significantly easier to clean than traditional mattresses because of high hospital-standards regarding sanitary environments.
Most hospital bed mattresses last around ten years of daily use, and can be adjusted however the patient sees fit.
They are also made to be flexible and bendable to ensure the total comfort of the person using them.
What Are the Advantages of Using a Hospital Bed Mattress?
There are several advantages of using a hospital bed mattress.
Comfort
Hospital bed mattresses are designed for prolonged periods of usage. They effectively distribute body pressure, resulting in a lesser chance of ulcers forming.
Waterproof
Hospital bed mattresses are waterproof — if the sleeper is incontinent, it won’t affect or damage the bed.
Stain-Resistant
Many hospital bed mattresses are also stain-resistant, so incontinence or food/drink on the bed won’t affect them. They are much easier to clean than traditional mattresses!
Fewer Pressure Sores
A hospital bed mattress will reduce the number of stage 3 and 4 pressure sores acquired on the body by up to 70%.
Shock Prevention
Mattresses for hospital beds are great at preventing motion that can occur from moving the bed around. This can in turn lead to a more peaceful, relaxing, and pain-free sleep.
How Do I Choose the Best Hospital Bed Mattress?
Choosing the best hospital bed mattress can significantly improve the comfort and rehabilitation of the person spending most of their day in it.
There is a wide range of types of supportive and comfortable beds on the market, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.
Innerspring Hospital Mattress
For users that aren’t spending all hours of the day in bed, innerspring mattresses can be a great option to consider because of their affordability.
They are also available in multiple firmness levels, and are geared toward promoting air circulation — resulting in a dry and comfortable sleep.
Memory Foam Hospital Bed Mattress
Memory foam hospital bed mattresses help alleviate the pain caused by moving the bed around.
Foam mattresses also have many different layers and zones that distribute pressure from the body to prevent ulcers.
Alternating Pressure Mattress for Bedsores
These mattresses alternate pressure points on certain parts of the body by inflating and deflating. This process promotes blood circulation and helps heal the skin of any damage that might have occurred.
They are also used to help keep fluids in the body moving around.
The only major downside of these hospital mattresses is that they require a power supply.
Other Things to Consider
When looking into the various types of hospital bed mattresses, there are a couple other things you’ll need to consider as well.
Weight of the User
Considering the weight of the user is important — choosing a mattress that doesn’t support a certain weight can slow down the recovery of the person using it.
Many hospital bed mattresses have a weight limit of up to 450 pounds, but there are bariatric hospital bed mattresses that can support individuals up to 750 pounds.
Mattress Materials
The materials are another factor that need to be considered when purchasing a mattress.
A medium-firm foam mattress will work if the user has lower back pain. However, if the user deals with pressure sores, an alternating pressure mattress might be a better option.
Ulcers
There are four stages of ulcers, with the first stage being the mildest and the fourth stage being the most severe.
Hospital bed mattresses are geared towards the stage of ulcers that people currently have, so a mattress designed for stage 1 ulcers might not be ideal for those with stage 4 ulcers.
Warranty
Warranty is another thing to consider when choosing the best hospital bed mattress.
Hospital beds aren’t the cheapest of mattresses on the market, so selecting one with a generous warranty package means you’ll get a lot more for your money.
How Much Can A Hospital Bed Mattress Cost?
A hospital bed mattress can range from $200 on the lower end to around $1,000.
Some specialty hospital bed mattresses can even range up to $7,000, with the prices reflected in select features.
A hospital bed mattress should:
- Provide you with the perfect measure of support
- Contour and adjust to the weight of your body
- Keep your spine in line
- Promote blood flow throughout the body
- Be comfortable for extended periods
- Be breathable and allow air to flow through it
- Be easy to enter and exit without the edge sinking
- Be shock-free when moved around
- Prevent bedsores from occurring
- Be fluid-resistant
- Disperse pressure across the entire surface
You get what you pay for when you purchase a mattress. So a hospital bed that promotes all of these characteristics will be on the higher end of the price range versus one that only includes 5.
