A patient support apparatus comprises a support frame and a patient support deck carried by the support frame. The patient support deck has a foot section configured to articulate relative to the support frame. A deck extension assembly comprises an extension frame and a deck extension section configured to extend and retract relative to the support frame. One more bearings are arranged between the deck extension section and the support frame. The deck extension section is movably coupled to the extension frame so that the deck extension section is able to move relative to the extension frame and relative to the foot section when the deck extension section extends and retracts relative to the support frame such that the deck extension section maintains contact with the bearing when extending and retracting relative to the support frame.

A patient support apparatus may include a frame. A control module may be positioned on the frame. A graphical user interface may be in communication with the control module. An exercise apparatus may be coupled to the frame and may be in communication with the control module.

A caregiver assistance system is disclosed for assisting a caregiver to ensure the beds of high fall risk patients are in desired states for reducing the likelihood of a patient falling. The system may also help the caregiver to perform rounding tasks. The system comprises a server in communication with the patients' beds and one or more mobile electronic devices (e.g. smart phones). The mobile devices receive answers to a plurality of fall risk questions and forward them to the server. The server generates a patient fall risk assessment from the answers, determines a desired state for fall-risk components of the bed if the patient fall risk assessment indicates the patient has a high risk of falling, compares the states of the fall-risk components to corresponding desired states, and issues an alert at the mobile device if any of the fall-risk components are not in their desired state.

A support apparatus for a person includes a main cushion having a bottom surface, a top surface to form a support surface for a person supported on the main cushion, and a length having a perimeter that has longitudinal and lateral sides extending around the perimeter. In addition, the support apparatus has at least one sleeve located along one of the sides of the man cushion. The sleeve is configured between a stowed state, where the sleeve is closely adjacent to the one side, and a deployed state, where the sleeve forms an extension of the top surface of the main cushion to thereby increase the width or the length of the support surface.

A patient support system for providing improved guidance and/or troubleshooting with respect to a patient support apparatus. A user interface is configured to receive inputs from a user, and an information output device is configured to provide instructions to the user. A controller determines a guidance protocol for the user based on the inputs. The guidance protocol comprises user-performed actions to be performed by the user in response to the instructions provided to the user with the information output device. The guidance protocol may be initiated and/or determined based on a troubleshooting request and/or an uncorrelated sequence of user inputs. At least one of the user-performed actions may be configured to control operational functions of a patient support apparatus. Methods for improving patient care by providing the guidance and/or troubleshooting are also disclosed.

A patient support apparatus comprises a support frame and a patient support deck carried by the support frame. The patient support deck has a foot section configured to articulate relative to the support frame. A deck extension assembly comprises an extension frame and a deck extension section configured to extend and retract relative to the support frame. One more bearings are arranged between the deck extension section and the support frame. The deck extension section is movably coupled to the extension frame so that the deck extension section is able to move relative to the extension frame and relative to the foot section when the deck extension section extends and retracts relative to the support frame such that the deck extension section maintains contact with the bearing when extending and retracting relative to the support frame.

A patient transport apparatus for transporting a patient over a floor surface is described herein. The patient transport apparatus includes an auxiliary wheel assembly including an auxiliary wheel, an auxiliary wheel drive system, and a control system for operating the auxiliary wheel drive system based on user commands. The control system includes a processor that is programmed to receive a user command to operate the auxiliary wheel drive system in a drive mode and responsively operate a motor control circuit to transmit power signals to a motor to rotate the auxiliary wheel. The processor is also programmed to receive a user command to operate the auxiliary wheel drive system in a free wheel mode and responsively operate the motor control circuit to enable the auxiliary wheel to rotate relatively freely with the auxiliary wheel in a deployed position.

A patient support apparatus, such as a bed, recliner, cot, stretcher, operating table, or the like, includes battery-powered circuitry whose functions are reduced, but not eliminated, as the battery charge level falls below a threshold. Electrical power may be cut off to one or more components of the battery-powered circuitry while still providing battery-supplied electrical power to the other components of the circuitry. A user interface provides battery status data, including a replacement status of a rechargeable battery, and allows a user to select different formats for displaying battery status data. Such formats include displays of battery charge level information not only in manners specific to the battery, but also in manners relative to the patient support apparatus, such as displays of how many, or how much of, one or more functions the patient support apparatus is able to perform based on the battery's current charge level.

A caregiver assistance system is disclosed for helping caregivers manage the care of existing bed sores and/or reduce the risk of a patient developing bed sores. The system may also help the caregiver to perform rounding tasks and/or to reduce the likelihood of patient falls. The system comprises a server application in communication with the patient's bed and one or more mobile electronic devices (e.g. smart phones). The mobile devices receive individual assessments of a plurality of bed sore risk factors and forward them to the server. The server generates bed sore risk scores from the answers and forward them to an EMR server. The server may also determine one or more risk reduction steps, display them on the mobile electronic device, and/or forward them to the patients' beds for implementation thereon. Additional bed sore information may be captured and sent to the EMR.

A number of patient beds are disclosed. Some patient beds have siderails that are movable by a patient so that the patient can egress from the bed without interference from the siderails. Various caregiver control panels and patient control panels for controlling features and functions of a patient bed are also disclosed. For example, a cart with caregiver control inputs, including hand inputs on a graphical user interface (GUI) and foot inputs, is disclosed. Patient positioning and transfer devices are also disclosed. Various types of in-bed physical therapy devices are also disclosed.