A hospital bed goes together in a fixed order, and the family that checks the room, the parts, the controls and the rails before the first night avoids most of the trouble.

A hospital bed is a set of moving parts that the family will operate every day and night. The setup is not hard, but it has an order, and the order matters. Follow the steps below in sequence, and keep the manufacturer's manual open on the floor while you work.

Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.

1. Measure the room before delivery

Ask the supplier for the bed's length, width and height at its lowest and highest settings, and the space it needs on each side. Measure the room, the doorway and the hallway that the bed must pass through. Mark where the bed will sit, and leave room on the side where the caregiver will stand to give care and on the side where the family will reach the controls. Locate the nearest wall outlet and plan the cord so it does not cross the walking path. Check the manual for its rules on power cords and extension cords before you plug anything in.

2. Check the delivery against the order

When the parts arrive, count them against the parts list in the manual and against the order. Look for missing bolts, bent rails, cracked frames and damaged control cables. Ask who assembles the bed. If the supplier's crew assembles it, ask them to show you the release points and the lowering control before they leave. If the family assembles it, plan for two people, because the frame and the mattress deck are awkward to hold alone.

3. Assemble in the manual's order

Build the frame in the sequence the manual gives. Tighten each bolt by hand first, then go round the frame and tighten them evenly. Attach the head and foot sections, then the rails if the bed uses them, and check that each rail latches fully and does not rattle. Do not use a bed that has a rail that will not latch. Set the mattress and check that it sits flat and does not slide when the bed moves.

4. Place the bed and lock the wheels

Move the bed into its marked spot. Lock the casters if the bed has them, and check that the bed does not roll when pushed gently. Confirm that the working side still has clear floor, that the cord is out of the walking path, and that the family can reach the controls from where they will stand.

5. Test every control with nobody on the bed

Run each control through its full range: raise, lower, head, foot, and any height setting. Watch the moving parts for places where a hand or a sheet could be caught, and watch the rails when they lower and raise. Find the manual release or emergency lowering control and show it to everyone who will use the bed. Test the brakes again after the bed has moved once. If anything sticks, stops short, or makes a new noise, stop and call the supplier before anyone lies down on it.

6. Write down what you need to find again

Record the model name, the serial number, the supplier's phone number, and the name of the person to call for repairs. Put the card on the wall near the bed or in the binder with the hospice contacts. Re-check the bolts after the first few days of use, because frames settle as they are used. For the wider set of questions families ask about equipment and who covers which costs, the About This Site page explains how these guides are written and what they are meant to cover.

Set Up the Hospital Bed From Empty Room to Tested Controls