3 ways to create a safe bedroom for people with mental health problems
Choosing furniture for any care setting is a balance between comfort and practicality. Some care settings, such as those taking care of vulnerable patients with severe mental illness, warrant additional considerations.
Whilst every resident deserves home comforts and a warm, cosy room, those with challenging mental health conditions present specific problems. Any furniture, or parts of furniture that can be broken or dismantled, can pose a significant risk to the resident, and to others. With this in mind, there is a range of safety considerations to think about when purchasing bedroom furniture and mental health beds for these care settings.
No hiding spaces
When choosing a mental health bed, a Robust Box Bed is a perfect solution. Incredibly sturdy, this divan-style bed is flat to the floor. A mental health patient in crisis may try to hide under, or in, furniture, which is not a safe option. By choosing a bed without space underneath, this style of bed is a good choice.
Made of solid pieces of wood, there are no parts to this bed that can be easily dismantled and used as a weapon, making it a safe choice. If storage is an issue, then the Robust Lift Up Storage Wide Box Bed offers compartmentalised storage in the base of the bed.
Rounded edges
Furniture with rounded edges is a must when dealing with unpredictable behaviour. The rounded edges reduce the chance of harm and accidents.
The wardrobes and shelving units available in the High Dependency range have been designed without doors for safety and can be fixed to the walls for extra peace of mind. Doing away with removable furniture parts is essential, to eliminate the possibility of the pieces being used as weapons or projectiles. The shelving units and wardrobes in this range come complete with glued and secured shelves.
No glass
To make a room feel homely, it’s nice to add a few finishing touches such as a mirror. In challenging places, such as a secure mental health facility, this is obviously a huge hazard. Flat polycarbonate options are, however, available as part of this high dependency range.
Carefully designed to be resistant to scratching and virtually unbreakable, this polycarbonate option offers a great alternative.
Reinforced Beds have an extensive range of robust furniture that is designed specifically for challenging environments and mental health facilities. Take a look at our website to see our range of furniture and accessories.