Care home design


A dummy’s guide to care home design


During the summer, Foxholes care home near Hitchin in Hertfordshire opened nine new assisted-living apartment suites. Here, Foxholes estate manager Neil Gandecha outlines his general theory of good care home design


The world of interior design is an artistic place where designers can express their creative flair, turning spaces void of character into aesthetically pleasing environments to live, work, or relax in. In most cases, in accordance to a


company’s brand guidelines, an interior designer is free to put their stamp on an area they have been assigned to work on, whether that be to make an office open- planned, improve a hotel lobby’s grandeur, or a restaurant more ambient. In healthcare environments such as


care homes, however, certain considerations must be taken into account before creating an environment for an elderly person to reside in, to ensure they are as comfortable, safe, and happy as possible. At Foxholes care home, we have just


opened nine new assisted-living apartment suites, offering fully fitted independent living quarters available to couples and individuals. Listed below are some of the key areas of interior design that we have had to carefully consider and implement for the suites, ensuring they offer the utmost quality for those


considering on making a huge life decision to move into one.


Overall design When you are planning a care environment, you have to ensure it offers comfort, feels homely and will last. Another obvious key ingredient is selling it. If a prospective resident is between 75 to 85 years of age, there is a good chance their son/daughter will be between 45 to 55. Therefore, you are not necessarily


trying to appeal to a generation that was born in the 1930s, but more towards the generation born in the 1950s onwards. Generally, those people will have more of a modern interior design to their own homes. That is why a lot of homes from 2010 onwards have been built with a slight hotel-like feel, steering away from the homes that use traditional old décor like art deco. The finishing touches of a home can


be crucial in terms of what separates one care home from another, that is why a lot more investment is put into the design of a care home today compared to two decades ago.


Walls The walls of a living space in a care home can be bold and colourful, decorated with aesthetically pleasing shapes or patterns. If designing a room or area for someone/people living with dementia, however, then it is best to avoid geometric designs. While appealing, these striking designs can cause confusion and therefore be unsettling for those residing in such surroundings. As mentioned above, this does not


mean walls have to be kept simple and bland with one colour of choice. Feature wallpaper designs, for instance, can include floral patterns and other shapes that evoke happy, calming emotions.


Floors While luxurious high pile carpets look great and provide an extremely soft and bouncy feel – ideal for elderly residents on foot – they are not practical for non- mobile residents. The length of the fibres will be a challenge to manoeuvre in a wheelchair, or even using a frame or stick. Instead, low pile carpets should be


used where possible and should be made with a material that is easy to clean. Maintaining dignity amongst residents is of great importance in care home environments, so flooring material with a special backing that can stop any bodily fluids such as uric acid from penetrating into the subfloor is ideal. For hard flooring, opt for surfacing


that can be glued down and sealed rather than floating floors. While generally cheaper and easier to install, floating floors may allow water to get underneath the surface overtime due to the amount of cleaning they will require.


Chairs Resident mobility should always be at the forefront of any decisions when it comes to choosing furniture such as chairs.


40 www.thecarehomeenvironment.com• December 2020


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