care & love
It's hard to forget the early days of 2020. As COVID-19 spread across the globe, headlines focused on ventilators, masks, and ICU capacity—but behind the scenes, another critical need was quietly emerging: nursing beds. Hospitals overflowed with patients, long-term care facilities became hotspots, and families suddenly found themselves transforming spare bedrooms into makeshift care units. What no one predicted was how drastically the pandemic would reshape the way we think about caregiving—and how badly we'd need reliable, accessible nursing beds to make it all work.
This isn't just a story about medical equipment. It's about families separated from loved ones in hospitals, caregivers burning out from round-the-clock care, and manufacturers racing to keep up with a demand that seemed to change by the hour. Let's dive into how COVID-19 turned nursing beds from a niche healthcare product into a household necessity—and why that shift might be here to stay.
Before 2020, the nursing bed market hummed along steadily, driven mostly by aging populations and the slow-but-steady growth of home healthcare. Hospitals upgraded beds as part of routine renovations; home care agencies ordered a few extra units each year. Then COVID-19 hit, and the script flipped.
In March 2020, as New York City became the U.S. epicenter, hospitals reported bed occupancy rates of 120% in some areas. But it wasn't just acute care facilities feeling the pinch. Nursing homes, already struggling with staff shortages, faced outbreaks that left them understaffed and overcrowded. Families, terrified of sending vulnerable loved ones into these settings, began searching for alternatives. "I refused to put my mom in a nursing home during the pandemic," says Maria, a 45-year-old teacher from Chicago whose mother has Parkinson's. "I needed to bring her home—but how do you care for someone who can't get out of bed alone? We needed a solution, fast."
That "solution" was often a nursing bed. Suddenly, online searches for "nursing bed for sale" spiked by 300% in the U.S. alone, according to Google Trends data from April 2020. Retailers sold out of basic models within days; specialized options, like electric beds with adjustable heights, had waitlists stretching into months. For families like Maria's, this wasn't just about comfort—it was about survival.
A Caregiver's Perspective: "My dad's physical therapist recommended a nursing bed in May 2020 because he couldn't sit up without help," recalls James, a 38-year-old engineer in Texas. "I called five stores, and all of them said the same thing: 'We might have stock in August.' August! My dad couldn't wait that long. I ended up driving three hours to a small medical supply shop that had a floor model—scuffed, but functional. I paid double the regular price, and I'd do it again. That bed let me help him eat, change, and move without injuring either of us."
At first glance, a nursing bed might seem like a "nice-to-have" rather than a "need-to-have." But during COVID-19, its role became indispensable. Unlike standard beds, nursing beds are designed with both patient and caregiver safety in mind: adjustable heights reduce the risk of back strain for those lifting patients; side rails prevent falls; and features like tilting mattresses can help with everything from eating to breathing.
In hospitals, the hospital nursing bed market had long focused on durability and infection control, but the pandemic added new priorities. Beds needed to be easy to sanitize (hello, antimicrobial fabrics!) and compatible with portable monitors. Meanwhile, at home, families weren't just looking for medical-grade equipment—they wanted beds that fit in their living rooms, didn't require a team of technicians to assemble, and, ideally, didn't cost a small fortune. Enter the fair price multifunction nursing bed : a middle ground between hospital beds and home furniture, with features like remote-controlled adjustments and compact designs.
Perhaps most importantly, nursing beds gave families a sense of control. When hospitals were overwhelmed, bringing care home meant avoiding exposure to the virus. But home care only works if you have the right tools. A nursing bed wasn't just a piece of furniture—it was a way to keep loved ones safe, comfortable, and out of crowded medical facilities.
While families scrambled to find beds, the real drama was unfolding in factories and warehouses. Home nursing bed manufacturers , which had traditionally catered to hospitals and long-term care facilities, suddenly found themselves fielding calls from panicked consumers. Overnight, their business models flipped from B2B to B2C—and they had to adapt fast.
Take a mid-sized manufacturer in Ohio, for example. Pre-pandemic, 90% of their sales went to nursing homes. By June 2020, 70% of their orders were from individual families. "We had to rewrite our playbook," says a production manager who asked to remain anonymous. "Our beds were built for institutions—heavy, industrial, with wiring that required professional installation. Families didn't want that. They wanted something they could assemble in an afternoon, with a remote control that even a teenager could figure out."
This shift wasn't easy. Supply chains, already strained by lockdowns, struggled to keep up. Steel for bed frames was delayed; motors for electric models were backordered. Some manufacturers partnered with local metal shops to source parts; others simplified designs to cut production time. One company even launched a "quick-assembly" line, reducing build times from 10 hours to 2, using snap-together components. It wasn't pretty, but it kept beds moving out the door.
| Metric | Pre-COVID (2019) | Post-COVID (2021) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home Nursing Bed Sales Volume | 1.2 million units (global) | 3.8 million units (global) | +217% |
| Hospital Nursing Bed Market Growth Rate | 4.2% annually | 11.8% annually | +7.6% points |
| Average Time to Fulfill Orders | 7-10 business days | 4-6 weeks | +200% |
| Top Consumer Concern | Durability | Availability & Ease of Use | N/A |
If there's one segment of the nursing bed industry that thrived during the pandemic, it's the electric nursing bed market . Pre-COVID, electric beds were often seen as a luxury—nice for hospitals, but overkill for home use. That changed when caregivers realized just how much time (and energy) they saved.
"Before the pandemic, I thought electric beds were for 'really sick people,'" says Lisa, a nurse who cared for her elderly mother at home in Florida. "Then Mom tested positive for COVID, and suddenly I was adjusting her bed 10 times a day—propping her up to eat, lowering her to change sheets, tilting it to help her breathe. A manual bed would have broken my back. The electric one? I could adjust it with a remote while I held her hand. It wasn't a luxury; it was a lifeline."
Manufacturers took note. By 2021, electric nursing bed manufacturers were rolling out models with features tailored to home use: longer battery life for power outages, USB ports for charging phones (because even bedridden patients need to Zoom with grandkids!), and even app connectivity, so family members could check in on bed positions remotely. Sales of electric homecare beds surged by 156% in Europe and North America, according to industry reports—and there's no sign of a slowdown.
One of the most lasting impacts of COVID-19 is how it blurred the line between "hospital care" and "home care." Before 2020, home healthcare was growing, but slowly—driven by aging populations and rising healthcare costs. The pandemic kicked that growth into overdrive. Suddenly, procedures that once required a hospital stay (like IV therapy, wound care, even some post-surgery recovery) were happening at home. And where there's home care, there's a need for reliable equipment—including nursing beds.
This shift caught many home nursing bed manufacturers off guard. For decades, they'd focused on selling to institutions, not individuals. Now, they had to learn how to market to families: using social media to explain product features, offering virtual demos, and even partnering with influencers (yes, caregiver influencers are a thing!) to share reviews. Some companies launched direct-to-consumer websites; others partnered with online retailers like Amazon to reach a wider audience. The goal? Make buying a nursing bed as easy as buying a sofa.
It wasn't just about sales, though. It was about education. Many families had never shopped for medical equipment before, so manufacturers created guides: "5 Things to Look for in a Home Nursing Bed," "How to Assemble Your Bed in 3 Easy Steps," "Budget-Friendly Options for First-Time Buyers." For caregivers overwhelmed by the stress of caregiving, this support was as valuable as the bed itself.
Manufacturer Innovation Spotlight: In 2021, a small Canadian company launched a "Smart Care Bed" designed specifically for pandemic home use. The bed included a built-in scale (to monitor weight loss, a common COVID symptom), a pressure sensor to prevent bedsores, and a two-hour backup battery. Within six months, they sold out of their first production run. "We didn't set out to revolutionize the industry," says the company's founder. "We just wanted to solve a problem: families needed beds that could do more, because they were being asked to do more."
There's no sugarcoating it: nursing beds are expensive. A basic manual model can cost $1,000; a top-of-the-line electric bed with all the bells and whistles? Upwards of $5,000. For families already stretched thin by pandemic job losses and medical bills, this price tag was a barrier. Suddenly, the search for a fair price multifunction nursing bed became a national pastime.
Some governments stepped in. In Germany, for example, the government temporarily expanded healthcare subsidies to cover 80% of home nursing bed costs for COVID patients. In the U.S., Medicare loosened restrictions on what types of beds qualified for coverage, making it easier for seniors to get reimbursed. But for many families, these programs were slow to roll out—or came with so much red tape that they weren't worth the hassle.
That's where secondhand markets and rental services stepped in. Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist saw a surge in listings for "gently used nursing beds"—often from families whose loved ones had recovered or, heartbreakingly, passed away. Rental companies, which had previously catered to short-term needs (like post-surgery recovery), began offering monthly plans with flexible terms. "Renting gave us breathing room," says Maria, the Chicago teacher. "We didn't know how long Mom would need the bed, so paying $200 a month felt better than dropping $3,000 upfront."
As the worst of the pandemic fades, one thing is clear: the demand for nursing beds isn't going back to pre-2020 levels. The pandemic taught us that home care is not just possible—it's often preferable, both for patients and for healthcare systems strained by overcrowding. And with aging populations in many countries (hello, Baby Boomers!), the need for reliable, accessible nursing beds will only grow.
So what's next? For electric nursing bed manufacturers , expect more innovation: beds that integrate with health monitoring apps, "smart" mattresses that alert caregivers to restlessness, and even eco-friendly models made from recycled materials. For home nursing bed manufacturers, the focus will likely stay on accessibility—making beds smaller, lighter, and easier to use for families with limited space or technical know-how.
Perhaps most importantly, the pandemic sparked a conversation about equity in healthcare equipment. No family should have to drive three hours for a scuffed floor model, or choose between a nursing bed and groceries. As the industry grows, there's a growing push for more affordable options, better insurance coverage, and greater transparency in pricing. After all, a nursing bed isn't just a product—it's a tool that lets people age with dignity, recover with comfort, and stay connected to the ones they love.
In the end, COVID-19 didn't just accelerate nursing bed demand—it transformed how we think about care. And that, perhaps, is the silver lining: a world where healthcare equipment is no longer confined to hospitals, but woven into the fabric of our homes, our families, and our daily lives. Because when it comes to taking care of each other, sometimes the most important tools are the ones that let us do it safely, comfortably, and together.