INCLUSIVITY AND DESIGN
and IRCs – how could they operate without it?! Technology enables the provision of services that make residents lives easier and healthier. Acoustic monitoring enables uninterrupted sleep, as a care worker can monitor a resident remotely and can identify a change in breathing patterns and alert a care worker immediately. Smart toilets can identify urine infections and flag this for instant treatment. Smartwatches can monitor movements around a care home and its grounds without the need to keep ‘tabs’ on the resident. This also reflects the changing needs and
requirements of residents – the current 60 year olds are savvy internet users, so when they reach an appropriate age and decide to move into a care facility, there will be no question that they will bring and expect to use their phones, tablets, and smartwatches on a day-to-day basis. The term ‘silver surfer’ is outdated and now irrelevant.
Stronger, resilient communities Inclusivity and diversity are not just beneficial to the care home residents, but to the community as a whole and embeds social fabric. By embracing variety, people are better equipped to respond to challenges and crises. A positive (maybe the only one?) to come out of the pandemic was the cohesion and understanding it bought to communities. In care homes, this translates to a better relationship between staff and residents – being able to foster understanding and cooperation on both parts leads to higher satisfaction. Connecting to the community through design
can come in the form of day centres, community hubs, coffee shops, libraries, pre-schools, religious worship spaces, or function areas. A coffee shop could host weekly intergenerational mornings, the library could run storytelling sessions for both children and seniors, or the function area could be a practice room for local choirs, all helping bridge generational and community gaps. Encouraging interaction between the community, and invariably
generations, keeps residents socially active and enhances social wellbeing for all.
Independence Empowerment of residents is provided through inclusivity. Being able to make your own decisions and express preferences empowers care home residents to live with greater autonomy. Being involved in a decision-making process – for example, making a choice of recreational activities – gives residents a sense of self-esteem. Translating this to the wider community, use of a care home or IRC spaces can also open access to people with disabilities, provide educational facilities, offer spaces for employment, and encourage everyone to have a voice in community decision making, bringing cohesion to the community to thrive. Inclusion is strategic but it is a strategy from the heart, not to earn money. Yes, tailoring support to reflect individual values and beliefs improves resident satisfaction and, in turn, staff fulfilment and retention. Having inclusion as part of your core business strategy and investing into it with time and energy can transform lives of residents and can assist care homes and IRCs to improve their own operations. There isn’t a ‘them and us’ culture in care homes between residents and care workers. There is just an ‘us’.
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THE CARE HOME INDUSTRY HANDBOOK 2026 17
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