For a person who is unwell and likely to spend a lot of time in bed, choosing the right cot is of paramount importance. Just like there are special cots that are in use at hospitals, there are special cots for home use as well.
Some of them are described below.
Common Features
While hospital cots are on the higher side to be more comfortable for Doctors and nurses, the typical cot for home use should be no higher than 20” from the ground. Similarly, while hospital cots come with caster wheels to enable easy movement of the patient to other parts of the hospital, home cots are safer without wheels. Cots also come in manual and electrical versions.
The Semi-Fowler
This cot provides facilities to raise the head side into a reclining position using an easy to operate crank. The diagrams below illustrate what the cot looks like when it is in a completely flat position and when it is in a reclined position.
The Fowler Cot
This cot allows you to raise the knee segment in addition to the functions of the semi-fowler.
The image above shows the different positions of a fowler cot. This cot is useful when the knee side also has to be raised.
The Five Function Cot
This is a more advanced cot that provides all the features of a Fowler cot. In addition, it provides height adjustment and tilting (head side and foot side) facilities. These cots come in manual and electrical versions, with and without wheels.
More advanced versions
There are more advanced cots available which can be procured on request. However, they may not be essential in a home care environment. You can position the head side segment at any angle. You can do this without disturbing or moving the person lying on the bed.
