How to Relieve the Center Indentation in a Hospital Bed

A hospital bed is an integral centerpiece to any stay-in patient. Many disabled patients, including the elderly, will spend many hours recovering on the hospital bed. After an extended period of time, the hospital bed can form "dents" on the surface of the bed, due to the pressure applied from the patient's body weight. Aggressive indentations can be very uncomfortable to the patient, and can even facilitate bed sores to form--especially to patients who are immobilized. Nevertheless, removing and relieving these indentations can be easily done with a bit of tact.

Things You'll Need

• Cardboard
• Inflatable bladder
• Towels
• Blankets

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Instructions

• 1

  Rotate the hospital bed 180 degrees. Once turned, the head of the bed will now be at the foot of the bed. Rotating the bed will move the indentation and will give the "support" system in the bed--which can either be bedding foam or metal springs--a chance to recover.

• 2

  Flip the mattress over every couple of months. This will remove the indentation. Doing this every couple of months will also extend the life of the mattress, which is integral for patients who will have to stay an extended period of time in the hospital. The mattress might not be your property, but other patients will be using the same bed in the future. Ask permission from the nurse and see if it is OK to completely flip the mattress over.

• 3

  Place a piece of cardboard underneath the indentation, between the hospital bed mattress and whatever is supporting it. This will provide support under the indentation, relieving the dent.

• 4

  Place an inflatable bladder underneath the indentation and pump it with air with a hand pump. Keep pumping until the indentation evens out. The bladder will loose pressure and air over time, so make sure to routinely pump the bladder every few days. Alternatively, you can stuff the area with soft towels or blankets.