Hospital bed battle; Any suggestions?

I have had good results putting down a cheap rubber yoga mat I got at Walmart under the mattress.

it keeps the mattress from moving

This should not be happening. It is not normal for this to happen with a quality bed. Do not try to rig something up, call and get the DME company to bring you a different bed or provide a solution.

Before rigging up something that may or may not work, call the company that supplied the bed and explain the problem. Be sure to emphasize the safety and potential for injury. If they can’t offer an explanation or solution, let them know you plan to exchange for a bed from a different supplier. Then call the entity that wrote the original order and ask them to help solve this problem. Medicare generally contracts for the most economical choice, so you may have to talk with someone higher up before anything gets done.
When my husband became mostly bed bound, a basic semi electrical hospital bed with a crank to raise and lower the height, was sent to our home. I’m 79 and take medication to slow my heart rate. I had to insist that they exchange for an electric bed to raise and lower the height. I have to pay a charge for this luxury. I didn’t fight them about this charge, but I think I could. Just see what you can do with a couple of phone calls.

What kind of hospital bed does not come supplied with a mattress designed to fit it securely?!

If this is specifically a hospital bed - i.e. a bed designed to be used for ill and frail persons - rather than just a "profiling" bed designed for the user to adjust his position comfortably, then the manufacturer's details must be on it somewhere or supplied with its paperwork. Call the manufacturer and ask for instructions.

I think there may be industrial strength velcro in a roll with an adhesive back...some on the bed, some on the mattress, and you would still be able to get the mattress off as needed so long as the bottom of it was not be covered by sheet...

You could go to a medical supply store that specifically deals with products for elders.

Are you talking about sliding toward end of bed? - There is a rail to stop that from happening. Or, are you talking about mattress moving off an edge of the bed? They do have some side rails that can be installed on most of the hospital type beds - just like you see in a hospital. If your bed does not accept side rails, get some tie down straps (like people use to tie down articles in the back of a truck) and put one down at very end of the bed and mattress frame and put another up as high as you can at the head of the bed. Neither of these should be in the way for the person laying in the bed.

I have an adjustable bed and there is a horseshoe shaped bar with one end stuck in the bed frame that stands up at the end of the mattress and keeps the mattress from sliding off when the mattress head is raised. I think it is called a "mattress retention bar."

How about placing those elastic bands that people use to connect ladders to their trucks ( they have hooks on each end of them and are found at Lowe's or Home Depot) ?  You can stretch them over the areas where the mattress will bend when the head of the bed, or the foot of the bed are raised, and you can pad them with a light blanket over them but under the fitted sheet.  The hooks can hook onto the box springs of the bed, or onto the frame of the bed.  You can also check with a hospital equipment supply company to see what they can suggest.

There is a piece of metal that slides out from under the foot of the mattress that keeps it from moving around. I also used pool noodles to wrap around the legs of the hospital bed. Cut a slit down the side of the noodle and it will wrap around the bed leg. I broke my toe twice when I hit the metal leg that didn't move.

To stop my DH from sliding on the floor - I bought Truck Liner from Lowe's, best $10 ever spent! I put it under the rugs and even had him standing on it when the his feet started sliding on the rugs themselves.

You could also tie it down, placing the ties strategically so no bed sores. Duct Tape comes to mind too.

Shelf liner, as some have suggested, or some non-slip carpet liner which is often heavier should work.

The railings usually provide boundaries to keep the mattress from shifting too much. Do you have railings in place?

My mom’s mattress does the same thing. I will try the shelf liner stuff. Seems like a simple solution.

Our bed has elastic straps on the mattress. I would contact the medical provider where you got it, perhaps a different mattress. We have a gel pad on top which is rather heavy, maybe that would help things. Our mattress and pad never move. We also use full rails on both sides.

OotiFairy
Is your mothers bed through Medicare?
If so, call another medical supply and ask their advice.
The first one I got for my mom wasn’t what we were expecting so we sent it back and went through a different company.
I don’t remember a problem with the mattress moving on either.
The second medical supply I called asked for the doctor’s name and took care of everything. The first company had to come pick up the bed they supplied.
You could give the first company an opportunity to fix the problem but it sounds like you’ve already had trouble with them.

Seeing your comment on what occurs..
You could ask for a half rail to be place on the bed. Place it on the opposite side where she is sitting down the rail will keep the mattress in place.
Another easy "fix" might be as simple as putting pool noodles or foam pipe insulation on the frame the foam or noodle should keep the mattress from slipping.
Another possible solution...Get some of the rubber shelf liner that is sort of grippy (is that a word? spell check seems to say no) lay the mattress on top of that. If you get an entire roll and un roll it on the spring frame that should be enough to keep it from slipping.

Fairy, have you raised this issue with the DME supplier? I'm wondering if all the necessary equipment wasn't delivered.    And I can't help thinking the mattress isn't the right one for a hospital bed, or maybe there's a cover missing.

This sounds like a thin, lightweight mattress. And it seems to me my mom's hospital bed had little stops (for want of a better word) along the side to hold the mattress on.

It's been over a decade since I've worked with a hospital bed at home, but I seem to remember some elastic straps at the edge of the padding, that extended under the mattress and connected to the other side.   I'm trying to visualize them but not very successfully.

It might also be that there were straps b/c the mattress had the alternating pressure sections (can't remember the correct name), rotating the weight to help avoid pressure ulcers.

Is this something that has actually happened or something you are afraid will happen? My husband spends 24/7 in his bed and his mattress has never moved an inch. He has rails which we keep up, but even so, his mattress has never moved at all.

Large strapping could be purchased as well, but I am uncertain where. I would try Lowe's, Home Depot. Perhaps even check with some Trucking Company as they use big strapping all the time. Might even be worth a google just for "strapping". Then of course as temp fix there is good old Duck (duct? I never know) tape.

What about those grippy mats meant to keep rugs from sliding?