FURNITURE & INTERIORS
A Sea Of Memories
Commander Brian Boxall-Hunt OBE, CEO of the Royal Alfred Seafarers’ Society which runs a specialised nursing care home in Surrey, explains the importance of interior design in delivering elderly care.
Relocating from a place that has been called home for so long can be challenging for anyone at the best of times, without the added obstacles that aging can bring. Nursing homes have a duty to deliver quality care; therefore being fully equipped with furniture fit for purpose is vital. Oſten, practicality will outweigh interior design. But should this always be the case?
The nursing home a resident relocates to will now encapsulate every aspect of their life. Furniture and interiors are no longer just about aesthetics, they come to influence how both staff and residents work and live. As well as providing the appropriate level of care, it should make residents comfortable and feel like their home, whilst still appreciating the challenges of caring for people living with illnesses such as dementia.
The Royal Alfred Seafarers’ Society has been caring for retired seamen, their
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widows and dependants for more than 150 years. As a specialised nursing care home, where just under 100 residents and tenants share common ground, the entire interior has been meticulously selected to follow a nautical theme throughout, including many maritime pictures. From coming face-to-face with anchors whilst approaching the reception, to cabinets filled with memorabilia as you venture further into the home and into the specially- built dementia annexe. Every piece comes together to create a genuine representation of life out at sea – an environment our residents have first- hand experience of – in a bid to comfort residents and trigger forgotten, happy memories.
The process of triggering memories in those living with dementia has been a successful aid in slowing down memory loss, especially in the early stages. Reminiscence therapy, as described
www.tomorrowscare.co.uk
in The Guardian, is the use of ‘items, objects, images and influences from an individual’s past to encourage short- term memories by stimulating long- term ones.’ These ideas play a key role in life at Royal Alfred as not only are memories triggered through objects, but also through the other residents
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