1. Personalized Assessments for Tailored Mobility Solutions

The foundation of our work with patients begins with a thorough, personalized assessment. At MED+, we collaborate closely with OTs to evaluate each patient’s specific mobility challenges, goals, and health status. This comprehensive assessment helps us determine the most effective mobility aids and solutions for the patient.

OTs conduct detailed evaluations of the patient’s physical abilities, including their range of motion, balance, strength, and coordination. They also consider the patient’s daily routine, living environment, and personal preferences. By understanding the patient’s unique needs, we can recommend tailored solutions such as wheelchairs, walkers, or even more specialized devices like powered scooters or stairlifts. This personalized approach ensures that each recommendation addresses the patient’s functional goals, providing them with the best possible mobility outcomes.

2. Custom Equipment Fittings for Optimal Comfort and Function

Once we’ve determined the appropriate mobility aids, we work with OTs to ensure that each piece of equipment is customized for the patient’s body and needs. Proper fitting is essential for comfort and functionality, and incorrect fittings can lead to discomfort, injury, or even further mobility issues.

For example, a wheelchair that is too wide or narrow can cause pressure sores or impede movement, while a walker that is too tall or short can result in improper posture or strain. By collaborating with OTs, we ensure that mobility aids are fitted precisely to the patient’s measurements, taking into account factors like seat depth, backrest height, and footrest adjustments.

In addition, we provide regular re-evaluations to ensure that as a patient’s condition changes over time, their mobility aids are adjusted accordingly. This ongoing support ensures that patients continue to receive the best possible fit, contributing to their long-term comfort and mobility.

3. Home Modifications to Improve Safety and Accessibility

In addition to mobility aids, home modifications are crucial to enhancing accessibility and safety for patients. At MED+, we work with OTs to assess the home environment and identify potential hazards that may hinder the patient’s mobility.

Common home modifications include installing ramps to accommodate wheelchairs, adding grab bars in bathrooms, and fitting stairlifts for multi-level homes. By collaborating with OTs, we can ensure that modifications are tailored to the patient’s specific needs and home layout. OTs help identify areas of concern, such as narrow hallways, high thresholds, or uneven flooring, and work with us to design solutions that eliminate these obstacles.

These modifications make everyday activities like entering and exiting the home, bathing, and navigating stairs much safer and more manageable. With the support of OTs, we ensure that the patient’s living environment is fully optimized to support their mobility, comfort, and independence.

4. Education and Training for Patients and Caregivers

Once mobility aids and home modifications are in place, it is essential that patients and caregivers understand how to use these tools properly. MED+ collaborates with OTs to provide education and training sessions that teach both patients and their caregivers how to use mobility aids and home safety equipment effectively.

Patients need to learn how to use their new mobility aids, whether it’s a wheelchair, walker, or stairlift. OTs guide patients through the proper techniques, posture, and safety precautions to maximize the benefits of their mobility devices. For instance, they ensure that patients know how to transfer safely from a wheelchair to a chair or bed, or how to operate a stairlift with confidence.

Caregivers, too, need training to ensure they can assist patients safely and provide appropriate support. We teach caregivers how to maintain the equipment, assist with transfers, and ensure the patient’s safety while using mobility aids. This education empowers caregivers to provide better support and ensures that patients continue to have the independence they need while minimizing the risk of accidents.

5. Ongoing Support and Reassessment

One of the most valuable aspects of our collaboration with OTs is our commitment to providing ongoing support and reassessment. As a patient’s needs change over time, their mobility aids and home modifications may need to be adjusted to continue providing optimal assistance. This could be due to changes in health, mobility, or even personal preferences.

We maintain an open line of communication with OTs to ensure that any changes in the patient’s condition are addressed promptly. This ongoing collaboration allows us to recommend additional equipment, new modifications, or adjustments to existing devices. Whether it’s upgrading a wheelchair, adjusting a stairlift, or adding a new safety feature to the home, we ensure that patients receive the support they need throughout their journey.

Furthermore, our dedicated customer service team is always available to answer questions or address concerns, ensuring that both patients and caregivers feel supported long after the initial installation of mobility aids and home modifications.

Conclusion: Empowering Patients through Comprehensive Care

At MED+, our goal is to provide holistic, patient-centered solutions that enhance mobility, safety, and quality of life. By working closely with Occupational Therapists, we are able to deliver personalized care that addresses the unique needs of each patient. Through personalized assessments, custom equipment fittings, home modifications, education, and ongoing support, we help patients achieve greater independence and well-being.

We believe that collaboration with OTs is key to improving patient outcomes and ensuring that individuals can continue to live their lives with confidence and dignity. Whether it’s helping patients use mobility devices effectively, ensuring their home is accessible, or providing the right tools and support, MED+ is here to enhance mobility and accessibility for every patient. With our expertise and commitment to patient care, we’re helping people live their best lives every day.

The post 5 Ways MED+ Works with Occupational Therapists to Enhance Mobility & Accessibility for Patients appeared first on MedPlus.

But, they weren’t always as so comfortable or easy to use. Hospital beds have evolved significantly since they were first introduced in the 1800s. Here we will take a brief look at the types of hospital beds and dive back into history to provide an overview of the history of hospital beds and their development.

Types Of Hospital Beds

There are many types of hospital beds you could see in medical facilities, hospitals, and in a person’s home.  The type of bed you need is dependent on your health condition and treatment. Health education website, Healthfully, provides an overview of the most common types of hospital beds:

• Gatch Bed
• Electric Bed
• Low Beds
• Low Air Loss Beds
• Circo-electric Beds
• Clinitron Beds
• Stretcher Beds

The History Of Hospital Beds

Pinpointing the exact origins of the hospital bed is challenging. Iterations of a hospital bed have been around for hundreds of years. They began as a basic stretcher. They had two long poles of equal length with a cloth material spread across it, allowing a person with a medical issue to be carried.

There is no doubt hospital beds have gone through significant changes over the years. A 2016 Journal of Physics: Conference Series paper titled, From Modern Push-Button Hospital-beds to 20th Century Mechatronic Beds: A Review, provides a historical outline of the developments of the hospital bed:

• 1815: It’s estimated that sometime between 1815 and 1825 that beds with adjustable rails began to appear in Britain. They used a mechanical crank to move the side rails up and down.
• 1874: Andrew Wuest and Son, a mattress company out of Cincinnati, Ohio, registered a patent for a mattress frame that could be elevated. This is considered the first iteration of the modern hospital bed we see today.
• 1909: Willis D. Gatch, former chair of the Department of Surgery at the Indiana University School of Medicine, provided the next innovation in hospital beds. He invented the 3 segment adjustable bed, which today is often referred to as the Gatch Bed. It allows for the head and the feet to be elevated.
• 1945: Push button hospital beds were invented by General Electric. One interesting feature about this design is it included a built-in toilet. The idea was to eliminate the bedpan.
• 1946: Billionaire Howard Hughes was in a plane accident. Unhappy with the type of equipment available, he created a hospital bed to suit his needs. It had 6 sections and 30 electric engines.
• 1949: Control and basic functions start to appear.
• 1950s: In 1952, the Hill-Rom Company, developed a bed with an electric engine. In 1956, the company its first bed with full electrical functioning.
• 1958: The Circ-O’lectric Bed was developed by Dr. Homer Stryker. Many other alternative models to address complex medical conditions were developed.
• 1961: Beds with a basic bed controller were introduced.
• 1974: Control panel on side rails was invented.
• 1978: Side rails with remote control were added to the functionality of hospital beds.
• 1980s: The 1980s was more focused on the development of the mattresses used in hospital beds. Therapeutic mattresses were developed. Some had position detectors and mechanics to weigh patient while still in bed. Patent exit monitoring devices were also developed. Other developments included a device to call the nurse and permanent cardiovascular monitoring became standard bed features.
• 1983: An electric bed for home use outside of the hospital was introduced.
• 1990s: Beds with more advanced functionality are developed. Mechatronic beds become a reality and developments are focused on more intelligent design.
• 1993: Specific industry standards for electronic hospital beds are developed to protect against mechanic and electric hazards.
• Today: Researchers continue to develop and build upon current hospital bed designs. New industry standards are evolving helping to make beds more functional, intelligent, comfortable and easy to use for patients and caregivers in a hospital, care facility, or private home setting.

Explore Hospital Bed Solutions

At MED+, we offer a large selection of hospital beds and home care beds. We have the right bed to meet your mobility and comfort needs. See our hospital bed solutions.

Read More From Our Blog

4 Benefits of Having a Hospital Bed Installed in Your Home
Hospital Beds for Home Use – When Should Your Rent vs. Buy

The post The History of the Hospital Beds and Their Development appeared first on MedPlus.

MED + Medical Equipment Distribution is pleased to announce the launch of their new website at www.medplushealth.ca. The revamped website was designed to make it easier for clients to engage with the MED + sales team for all their home health care product and service needs; while providing vital information about the hundreds of products and key services MED + offers the community.

Additional information can be found at https://www.medplushealth.ca/

The redesign was created with the client in mind – those in need of mobility equipment, caregivers of those in need, retirement residences, and occupational therapists. This is aligned with MED +’s mission to meet client needs through innovative solutions for medical equipment and supplies.

The family of employees at MED + work diligently every day to serve their community with the best possible service they can provide. Working as a home health care product and service provider is an honour and a blessing for the entire MED + family.

The new website covers the wide range of home health care solutions provided by MED +, including medical equipment products, power and manual wheelchairs, scooters, transport chairs, rollators, walkers, home care and hospital beds, bathroom safety equipment, lifts (including vertical platform lifts, ceiling lifts, patient lifts, stair lifts), accessibility renovations, and new / used rental equipment.

MED + carries a large inventory of home health care products. When clients need a product or a service, they invariably need it as soon as possible. This is why MED + carries a large selection and large inventory. This allows MED + to serve the community efficiently, and the new website further supports that.

“We are very pleased with our new web site. We have worked hard to prepare an upgraded educational website offering information about the latest products available on the market today. Our website is designed to be as intuitive and simple to navigate as possible – just click on the product you are interested in, read the specifications and description of the product. You can print a brochure, get a free quote, request an assessment, or call / email us for more information,” says Michael Samuels, Managing Director of MED + Medical Equipment Distribution.

“We get to run our business, support our families and also help our community with products and services that really make a difference in someone’s life,” adds Samuels

MED+ proudly serves residential homes, long term care homes and retirement homes, always putting the client first. MED + is honoured to work with a wide range of professionals including but not limited to; occupational therapists, physio therapists, doctors, nurses, chiropractors.

Sometimes it’s as simple as a providing a rental walker or wheelchair, other times it’s a purchase of a home care hospital bed or a bathroom renovation, or an installation of a stair lift or wheelchair lift. Regardless of the request, the new MED + website makes it easier for clients to get the medical products and services they need.

Contact Information


MED + Medical Equipment Distribution


2586 Dunwin Drive, Unit 5, Mississauga, ON L5L 1J5


Phone Number: 416-477-5960


Email: medplus@medplushealth.ca

The post Official Press Release: MED + Launches New Website to Better Serve the Community in Need Of Reliable Home Health Care Products & Services appeared first on MedPlus.