If you are planning to open a care home in your local area, then it’s vital that you dedicate the proper care and attention to every aspect of your facility. This is to ensure the health and well-being of your residents are to the high standards expected from a care home.
When it comes to selecting the best furnishings, there are a number of factors to take into consideration. After all, care home furniture should not only help to create a cosy, comforting and inviting atmosphere, but it should also be medically sound in order to keep your residents safe from infection and from the threat of trips or falls.
Read on for some helpful tips and advice on how to choose the right care home furnishings that will strike the perfect balance between comfort, style, and functionality.
Safety And Hygiene
One of the most important qualities a care home should provide is safety. As part of this remit, you must take every precaution to lower the risk of accidents such as trips and falls, which means choosing furniture with special safety features such as rounded edges and anti-skid feet.
You should also choose furnishings made using fabrics and materials that are easy to remove and clean. This will help to limit the spread of bacteria and disease. If precautions are not taken, illness can quickly and easily spread through a care home. Choosing antimicrobial fabrics can help prevent outbreaks.
In addition, you should select furniture – particularly chairs – that promote the physical comfort and well-being of your residents, as they may spend a great deal of time seated. As many of the elderly residents who will be living in your care home will struggle with varying degrees of muscle mass loss, they will require more supportive chairs designed to prevent muscle or skeletal strain. Because your care home furniture needs to have such specific safety features, it’s recommended that you purchase your furnishings from a specialist supplier such as Nichol and Hill. These care home chairs have been designed with both safety and comfort in mind, and are suitable for residents with a range of mental and physical health conditions.
A Welcoming Environment
Making the transition to a care facility from their previous family home may be a significant and potentially troubling change for many of your residents. To help them settle in and feel as comfortable and happy as possible in their new surroundings, it’s crucial that you design the interiors of your care home to be comfortable, homely, and welcoming.
With this aim in mind, try and opt for furniture that looks and feels like something you would enjoy having in your own lounge at home. Where possible, choose warm, uplifting colour schemes and patterns enhanced with extra comforts such as padded armrests and cosy cushions that will support your residents’ lower backs and help them sit comfortably for long periods.
Choosing Furniture For Specific Conditions
When selecting furnishings for a care home, it’s important that you take into account the specific needs of individual residents. A number of the people who come to live in your facility will probably have serious medical conditions, and you need to make sure your home is equipped to cater to their requirements and help them stay as safe and comfortable as possible.
Some of your residents may be confined to their beds due to illness or a physical condition which prevents them from sitting or standing for any significant period of time. Because lying in bed for long periods can cause a variety of problems, including bed sores, it’s vital that you have specially designed beds to help keep these issues at bay. For example, the beds should be adjustable and accessible, so your patients can easily get in and out and so that your staff can easily attend to their needs. You may also wish to opt for reinforced beds, which are capable of accommodating substantial weight and will not be easily damaged. Some patients may be prone to violent outbursts while in bed as a result of dementia, and a reinforced frame will cope much better with this type of strain than a regular bed.
When it comes to choosing cupboards, wardrobes, and other storage items, you can also make life easier for dementia patients by choosing clear-fronted models so they can clearly see the contents. This will make it easier for them to find whatever they are looking for and will prevent confusion or distress.
Finally, it’s important that you have grab rails and hoists installed where required, as residents who struggle with mobility are much more likely to slip and fall. Having the right mobility aids in place will help to keep them safe and will make them feel more secure and confident about moving around the home.
In Conclusion
As you can see, when it comes to furnishing your care home, there are a number of important considerations to bear in mind. These can range from how homely the furniture looks to the levels of safety and accessibility each item provides.
With the right care and attention, you will be able to furnish your care home in such a way that your residents feel safe, comfy, and right at home.
Photo credit
Photo by Matthias Zomer: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-holding-a-stress-ball-339620/