Becoming bedridden isn’t something most of us like to think about, yet it can happen to anyone, at any time. One day you’re living your usual life, then an accident happens, and you find yourself with reduced mobility, taking painkillers like they were candy. Going through such an experience makes you realise what truly matters in life – who you’re around and not what you’ve accomplished in life in a material sense.

I’ve had a lot of time to reflect on this in the last few days after my husband suffered an accident while he was on his way to work, which caused him a severe sprain that required immobilisation and a lot of rest in the form of temporary bedridden status. After the initial scare of a fraction due to the incredible amount of pain and swelling, he’s had some much deserved rest at home.

Of course, this shifted things a little in our usual daily schedule, and the busy worker, wife, and mum that I am, juggling work and parenting at the same time, I must say it hasn’t been all too easy. What’s proved to be the perfect helping hand (that’s also cheaper than hiring caregivers) is a hospital cart that’s made me view specialised hospital supplies from a whole different angle – home-based care.

What is a Medical Cart Used for?

First and foremost, it’s a trolley, i.e. a moveable piece of equipment designed to handle the storage, transport, and dispensation of medications, healthcare equipment, as well as food. As such, it’s readily available in different designs and configurations, with a range of varying features, to suit the different needs and settings of medical environments.

From designs with two or several tiers to models with side panels, mesh details for a boost in safety, and even drawers for a boost in security and privacy, many are the faces of these handy hospital supplies today. As it turns out, they can be equally helpful when it comes to their residential purposes, even though this isn’t something they’re primarily intended for. To give you an idea, our choice of medical cart has been the perfect aid for:

Organising the Meds

If your husband is anything like mine, then you’re well aware what it means to be the one in charge of setting his phone alarm to remind him of when and how he’s supposed to take what the doctor ordered. And when that seems to fail too, then you reach for the help of a personalised cart where you neatly organise each of the meds based on the type, hour, and/or repetition to avoid any forgetfulness or errors when you’re not around.

Although that isn’t our case, when the bedridden status gets prolonged, this kind of equipment can also be beneficial with keeping a track of the whole inventory – like when something’s date expires, and when you’re supposed to do a restock, which can immensely make matters easy with med administration in general.

Since they’re mobile, these medical supplies are just as handy with being used as mobile med stations that can easily be transported around the home as the need arises. So, even if the home patient changes rooms, it still won’t be a burden to keep the meds close-by. This aspect in particular shows why they’re a great helping hand for people dealing with chronic conditions too.

Making Up a Healthcare Hub

When you have too many pieces of medical equipment around, it can be difficult to have them on hand when they’re most needed. Getting one of these trolleys could be more advantageous than you imagine as it could easily turn into a centralised hub for all the medical essentials your home patient requires for better health management.

Whether it’s a thermometer, a glucose meter, a BP monitor, a first aid kit consisting of bandaids, gauze, or a lifesaving device like AED, the trolley with several tiers and compartments can keep everything within reach. Yes, it can make home medical care so easy, you can also keep an eye on medical history paperwork, prescriptions, and appointment schedules by neatly storing all the important documents.

If you get more tiers and compartments, this gives you more flexibility with the storage and organisation as you can create different sections of everything. In addition to the separate tiers with meds, devices, and documents, you could have another that’s meant solely for personal hygiene items.

This would make matters easier on the patient with chronic pain or one going through recovery with limited mobility when it comes to cleaning. If you have enough room, for example, storing some grooming essentials (mirror, razor, shaving creme, brushes, hair tools), a set of clean underwear and outer layer clothes for them to freshen up and change is yet another way you can use the cart for. Who knew medical equipment could find its well-deserved place in residential settings too!