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Overbed Tables: Enhance Your Residents’ Comfort with a Minimal Investment
An overbed table is exactly what you’d expect given the name: a table that can easily fit over the bed. You’ll also find them under the name “overchair tables” because they have multiple uses.
These portable tables are usually height-adjustable and easy to move around the room. They can be used as a supportive flat surface that allows care home residents to sit up in bed for their meals or for other activities: reading, playing cards, using a laptop, doing crossword puzzles, and so on.
Overbed tables are typically used by seniors or by people who undergo recovery after surgery or an accident and they expect to spend a lot of time seated for the foreseeable future.
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Why Do You Need Overbed Tables in Your Care Home?
While care home residents need a lot of attention, care, and help with some of the day-to-day activities, overbed tables allow them to be more independent. For instance, even a bed-ridden resident can enjoy their meals on their own, without the help of a caretaker.
For your nursing home, this means:
- Residents’ mental health and mood are significantly improved.
- Your caregivers will spend less time catering to residents’ basic needs.
- Overbed tables can be kept next to the bed when not in use and they can double up as nightstands where your residents can keep their phones, glasses, water, or medication.
- The risk of an accident is significantly reduced if your residents don’t need to climb out of bed every time they need an object that is stored across the room.
How Do You Choose the Ideal Overbed Tables for Your Care Home?
Just like any other piece of furniture in your care home, overbed tables come in a lot of shapes and forms, and with a lot of features.
How do you know which ones you need? Here’s how to get overchair tables that help your residents lead a more independent life without overspending on features they will never use.
1. Choose Compliant Overbed Tables
The NHC Group Ltd. overbed tables are fully compliant with BS 2483:1977, the UK standard for this type of furniture. You can opt for non-compliant tables, but we don’t recommend them.
Not only do compliant overchair tables reduce the risk of accidents, but they also act as a policy insurance. If an accident should happen to one of your residents, you can always prove that you took every possible measure to prevent it.
2. Consider Which Tabletop Options Your Residents Need
All overchair tables come with a flat tabletop that can be used as a hard surface for reading, using a laptop, or holding a food tray. If your residents need a bit more flexibility, you can opt for:
- Overbed tables with tilt-top surfaces. They can tilt at an angle that makes reading a book or using a laptop easier.
- Extra movements: some tables can move up and down or even swivel to increase convenience. Whether you need one of these or not, it’s up to your residents’ range of motion.
- Choose the shape carefully: C- or U-shaped tabletops are ideal for people who use wheelchairs. H- or U-shaped tabletops are better for residents that are bed-ridden.
- Some overbed tables come with utensils or cup holders which prevent spills. These models are ideal for residents with Parkison’s disease, for instance.
- Spillguards are another great feature, especially for seniors who have balance issues.
- Overbed tables with slide-out trays or drawers offer a larger area and are a good investment for leisure activities like playing cards.
- Plastic or laminated surfaces are easier to clean and lighter than wood, although choosing the former option means sacrificing style for comfort.
- Higher-end overbed tables come with built-in outlets which bring device charging within reach even for residents who are confined to their beds.
Our recommendation is to order a mix of overbed tables with different features and shapes. Since different residents have different needs, a combination of several models will ensure that each of them receives a table that enhances their comfort.
3. Design and Style
Even functional pieces of furniture have to look good and match the rest of the interior, right? This is why NHC Group Ltd offers a wide range of overbed tables to match any care home interior design.
We recommend that you choose tables that have a homely feeling. This will help your residents feel at ease and more comfortable with using it.
4. Dimensions and Weight Capacity
Before ordering overbed tables, make sure that they can fit your rooms and that they can be slid over beds and over chairs. We offer a lot of models of different sizes, so you will definitely find the right one for your care home.
Keep in mind that smaller, home-like tables are easier to fit but they also offer a reduced surface and fewer tilting and adjusting options. Hospital-grade overbed tables are bulkier and larger, but also sturdier and more flexible.
Weight capacity also matters. For light items like a book or a food tray, any overbed table is fine. But if your residents plan to use heftier objects, like a bulky laptop, for instance, you will need a larger, sturdier table.
5. Portability
Some of your overbed tables will be kept in the rooms for longer spells of time, while others will be moved around. For example, your residents may need them in the common areas occasionally.
It’s important to invest in overbed tables that can be easily moved around. This way, you will buy fewer tables overall.
Why Choose NHC Group Ltd as Your Supplier of Overbed Tables
NHC Group Ltd. is one of the UK’s preferred suppliers of care home furniture and soft furnishings. For the past two decades, we have helped care homes and nursing homes across the UK find the right solutions to match their residents’ needs.
We know that care homes’ budgets are usually limited, so we provide flexible solutions. If a more affordable option that matches your needs exists, we will always lead with it.
With NHC Group Ltd., you get more than a care home furniture and equipment supplier. You get a trusted partner that’s by your side at every step of the way -- from the initial consultation to the ongoing maintenance and repairs of your products.
Need our help finding the perfect overbed tables? We’re just a phone or an email away!