Things to consider when designing a care home
If you are an interior designer tasked with refurbishing a care home, or you manage a care home and have been given a budget to re-design the facility, there are some important things you must consider. Every design choice you make for a care home must be centred around the wellbeing of the individuals who live in it, and below we outline some of the important things you must consider.
1. Sleep
Sleep is important for everyone, but especially for vulnerable and elderly individuals. A good night's sleep is needed to ensure an even routine is maintained that doesn't impact their energy levels the following day. You also have a duty of care to ensure they do not receive any pain or ailments after sleeping on an uncomfortable bed. It is recommended that care home mattresses are placed in every bedroom to ensure each resident has a safe and comfortable night's sleep.
2. Uniformity
While it is great to allow residents within a care home to personalise their bedrooms with photographs and ornaments, to ensure the care home looks smart and is easy to clean, each room should be fitted with the same furniture. We offer furniture for care homes to ensure each resident benefits from the same quality and style of bedroom, which also brings a unifying theme to your facility.
3. Adaptable
Care home patients may arrive at your facility when they are ill or bed-bound, but will hopefully be able to recover and become mobile once again. To accommodate the changing needs of a resident, mobile furniture may be necessary. For example, over bed tables can be placed in a room when a resident is bed-bound and then removed when the resident is mobile once again. This ensures rooms do not become cluttered with unused furniture but residents also have access to the support they need when they need it.
4. Guest seating
The second most important person in a care home, after the residents, is the friends and family of the residents. It is essential friends and family have somewhere comfortable to sit when they visit their loved ones, as this will encourage them to visit more frequently and give them peace of mind that their friend or family member is comfortable and well looked after.
Contact Reinforced Beds
At Reinforced Beds, we have a selection of furniture and beds for care homes and would be happy to answer any questions you may have about designing or decorating a care home.