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FURNITURE & INTERIORS


surrounding them as they come together to reminisce.


Within our specialist dementia annexe lies a memory room. Filled with an abundance of maritime memorabilia, the purpose of the room is to invoke memories for residents suffering from dementia. Where the rest of the home carries a nautical theme for the retired seafarers, the memory room is filled with items reminiscent of earlier years in our residents’ lives.


Atop a shelf adorned with metal containers, sits an issue of the beloved childhood comic Beano, containers of OXO cubes and metal polish much like those you could expect to find during wartime. The objects in the room are an attempt to trigger long-term memories.


The Royal Alfred Seafarers’ Society boasts a task force of more than 100 members of specialised staff, from nurses to volunteers; all bringing their own fresh ideas of how to remedy the various hurdles that come with caring for elderly residents.


Due to memory loss, names can oſten not resonate with a dementia patient; therefore, for someone unable to recognise their own name, it is impractical to use names written on a door. Outside each residents room in the dementia annexe sits a memory box filled with belongings and photos to allow the resident to identify their room.


It is small things like these memory triggers throughout the home that make life more comfortable for residents and in turn allow our nurses to fulfil their duty of care to the best of their ability.


As well as triggering memories, there are various other things to consider when deciding on the interior of a care home. Failing eyesight is a common symptom of dementia; therefore a simplistic colour scheme works best.


The Dementia Services Development Centre explains how well placed use of colour and contrast can facilitate independent living, through allowing residents to find their way around and use fixtures and facilities.


Providing assisted living allows residents to join the home with partners or family members who may need more


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care without having to sacrifice their own independence.


A major change in the surroundings of someone suffering with dementia can increase anxiety and can cause residents to become severely agitated by the change. However, as one of only three homes specifically for seafarers in the country, Royal Alfred accommodates for these situations by having residential care, as well as nursing and dementia care.


Spread across 14 acres, various parts of the care home facilitate different needs and host different living environments. In the residential rooms you would typically find en-suites and fixtures of hospital standards. However, you will also find pieces of the residents own


furniture and decorations from previous homes. Residents are encouraged to utilise the space as they wish to create somewhere enjoyable whilst also maintaining the practicality of the furniture being used.


Familiar settings play a large part in creating a comfortable environment to avoid confusion or to further exasperate the symptoms of dementia. The goal with furniture and interiors of a care home should always be practicality. However, it must also be a safe and supportive environment that residents enjoy, and where staff like working. At the end of the day we are a home and that’s exactly how we want our residents to feel when they are with us: at home.


www.royalalfredseafarers.co.uk - 43 -


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