The bed usually arrives in pieces or mostly assembled, and the crew often wants to be finished quickly. Setup day is the part nobody writes down, and it is the part that decides whether the bed works the way your parent needs it to. Go through it in order. Do not let the crew leave until the last step is done.

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.

Before the crew arrives

Clear a straight path from the front door to the bed space, and from the bed space to the bathroom. Move the rug, the lamp cords, the side table, and anything else that sits in the walking line. Put them where they will not be stepped on.

Measure the bed space from the walls, not from the old furniture. You need room for the bed's full length, room on the side your parent will get out of, and room on the other side for a helper to stand. Write the three numbers on the paper with the order.

Find the outlet. Check that the power cord reaches it without an extension cord. If it does not reach, call the supplier before anyone runs a cord across the floor or plugs into a power strip. The supplier can tell you whether the bed needs a different spot.

Have the discharge paperwork, the order slip, and the phone number from the bed's sticker on the table where you can reach them.

What the setup crew should do

Ask them to set the bed in the spot where it will stay. Moving an assembled bed later is a second job, and it is the one that scratches the wall and pinches the cord.

Ask them to raise and lower the bed through its full height, and to show you the highest and lowest positions with your own eyes. Ask them to show you the head and foot sections moving up and down.

Ask whether the side rails came with the bed, how they lock, and whether they match this frame. Ask them to lock one rail while you watch.

Check the mattress. Press it against the head and foot of the frame and look for gaps you could put a hand into. The manual that came with the bed says what the correct mattress fit looks like, so read that page before the crew leaves.

Ask them to show you the hand control and the foot control, and to leave both within reach of the bed. If the control has a cord, ask where the cord runs and whether it crosses the walking path.

If the bed has wheels, ask them to show you how to lock them and unlock them. Lock them before they leave.

The test you run after they leave

Run the bed through every motion once with nobody in it. Raise the head, lower the head, raise the foot, lower the foot, and move the height up and down. Watch each motion until it stops by itself. A control that keeps moving past its stop, sticks, or makes a new noise goes on the list for the supplier.

Look at the gap between the mattress and each rail. Pull each rail firmly by hand. A rail that rattles, shifts, or does not lock is not finished.

Trace the cord from the outlet to the control. It should not run under the bed where a wheel will roll over it, and it should not cross the spot where a foot will land when your parent stands up. Move the cord so it runs along the wall or along the frame, and tape it only if the supplier says tape is safe for that cord.

Move the bed a few inches with the wheels unlocked, then lock them again. Check that the bed does not roll back when you push it.

Confirm the side and the walker spot

Ask the discharge nurse or the therapist which side of the bed your parent will get out on, and where the walker should sit when your parent is in the bed. Those answers belong to the team, not to the crew. Write them on the paper and put the paper on the wall near the bed. Then check the bed height and the walker placement against those answers.

Write down what you will need later

Keep a short card near the bed. Write the supplier name and the phone number from the sticker. Write the warranty line if the paperwork has one. Write how to lower the bed by hand if the manual describes a manual lowering method, and where the manual is kept. Write the name of the person who scheduled the install, in case the bed needs a second visit.

When to stop and call

If a control sticks, a rail rattles, the cord is short, a part is missing, or the mattress leaves a gap, do not use the bed for your parent until the supplier or the manufacturer answers. Call from the room while the crew is still there if you can. If you cannot reach anyone, ask the discharge team what to do before the first night. They can tell you what they can and cannot approve.

The supplier should be able to explain each step of setup in plain words. If they cannot, that tells you something about who you are dealing with. For how this desk checks its own sources, see the Sources page.

The Bed Setup Day: Clear the Floor, Plug It In, and Test Every Control Before Anyone Lies Down