WASHROOM


A good care facility should reassure its residents and make them feel at home. It should also keep them safe.


So when equipping a care home facility, a balance needs to be struck between creating a home-from-home atmosphere and providing equipment that maximises safety, accessibility and hygiene.


A care home washroom should ideally resemble the resident’s toilet at home, to ease their transition into care.


However the fluffy towel, soap bar and toilet roll they used at home would not be appropriate here. Textile towels would require frequent washing and push up laundry bills. Also in a shared washroom, there would be a cross-contamination risk if more than one resident used the same towel.


Arthritis and rheumatism sufferers would find soap bars hard to hold and easy to drop. Again, these would also pose a cross-contamination risk in shared facilities. And people with arthritic fingers might find tearing a sheet of toilet paper from a roll difficult to manage.


Disposable hand towels are a good option for care homes. Individual hand towels that can be pulled out of the


dispenser one at a time will avoid the risk of cross-contamination posed by a textile towel. They also create a more homely ambience, in comparison to a noisy, institutional air dryer.


Liquid and foam soaps are a highly suitable alternative to soap bars and should be supplied in sealed cartridges to prevent the risk of contamination, which can be an issue with bulk-fill containers. Care home managers should also consider the push force required to access liquid or foam soap since some dispensers can be difficult to use for people with weak hands.


The Tork Foam Soap Dispenser, for example, has been developed specifically for ease of use for the frail and elderly and has been given the seal of approval by the Swedish Rheumatism Association.


In a shared care home washroom, a high-capacity toilet tissue system such as a jumbo roll may be installed. But here the user may be required to place a hand inside the dispenser to access the paper. Besides requiring dexterity, this practice can lead to cross-contamination – something that should be avoided at all costs where vulnerable older people are involved.


The Tork SmartOne® toilet roll system is a good solution here since the system is easy to operate and completely enclosed which means that each resident touches only the paper they use.


In smaller or en suite washrooms, a toilet tissue system that gives out individual sheets one at a time is a good solution. This again prevents the risk of cross-contamination while enabling the resident to access the paper using just one hand, whereas a toilet roll requires some manual dexterity.


All care home washroom dispensers should be easy to locate, even by people who are visually impaired. The April 2015 Care Standards for Nursing Homes document states that washroom and bathroom equipment should be clearly identified and marked, for example by using colours that provide a contrast from the rest of the decor.


There are other ways to provide comfort and reassurance for elderly residents. Washroom lighting should facilitate good visibility while motion sensor lights will help when using the toilet at night. Washroom locks and handles should be easy to operate while allowing staff immediate access in case of emergency. And all washrooms should have hand rails, a call system and a door that opens outwards.


The Care Quality Commission is working to ensure that all care and nursing home residents receive safe, effective and compassionate care and that staff put the health and wellbeing of the elderly at the centre of their work.


Washroom fixtures and consumables might seem, on the face of it, to be a minor part of the care home equation. But washroom systems that make it easier for elderly people to use the toilet unaided and in private can have a major impact on their dignity - and ultimately, a significant impact on their quality of life.


www.tork.co.uk twitter.com/TomorrowsCare - 27 -


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