0 someone who is using a bed in a hospital although they no longer need hospital treatment, because they do not have anywhere else to go where they can be cared for safely. Some people consider this word offensive:
An elderly bed-blocker who has refused to leave hospital for nearly three years despite needing no medical or nursing care has been ordered out by a High Court judge.
Older people, or indeed patients of any age, do not become bed blockers of their own intent.
