Cover story – advertising feature
The art of homely yet caring bedroom design
Rob Scovell, digital marketing manager at Renray Healthcare, looks at some important issues to consider when refurbishing care home bedrooms
Moving from the comfort of home into an unfamiliar care home can be unnerving. It is therefore imperative to create a warm, welcoming environment to make the transition smooth and non-disruptive. The bedroom is one of the most important rooms in your care home, the place where somebody can go to relax and recover from the stresses of the day. It needs to feel safe. This is even more so for a person living with dementia, who is more likely to face struggles and upsets in their everyday activities and who may have complex needs. A bedroom serves as a resident’s private space, where they can rest and relax. The design, layout, and atmosphere of the bedroom can greatly affect the resident’s physical and emotional wellbeing. Bedrooms should include safety features to account for the symptoms of dementia. A dementia-friendly bedroom should be easy to navigate and reduce the risks of accidents for people living with these symptoms.
Colours
The use of contrasting colours for your walls, floor, and furniture ensures that edges are clearly distinct. This is because residents may have difficulty with vision and perception. Patterns can cause distress and confusion, and therefore should be avoided. As the bedroom should be a calm and relaxing place, colours should not be too garish, either.
Flooring Even in locations other than the obvious ones like the kitchens and bathroom, non-slip flooring might be useful for residents who are unstable on their feet. To guard against
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this, the flooring should be painted in simple, matte colours. Surfaces with patterns or shine could be confusing. A person living with dementia may attempt to pick up imaginary objects or avoid imaginary puddles, which increases the likelihood of falling.
Bed
As with all furniture, the bed needs to be clearly defined, with contrasting linen to the walls and floor. Place the bed on a direct line to the door and bathroom with a clear path between them. This will make it easy to travel from one to the other. Padded headboards can be safer. Although placing the bed against the wall may reduce the risk of falls, it is better to leave it clear on both sides to ensure its accessibility. Rounded edges are also safer to dampen any bumps or knocks. Another way to improve safety is to use a hospital-style bed that can be raised and lowered to the most convenient level, making efforts to climb in and out much easier. Profiling beds such as our Elite Range are available to help raise someone with mobility issues from lying to a seated position.
Other furniture Padded chairs with rounded entries increase comfort and allow greater accessibility. Again, contrasting colours should be
utilised to make the seat clearly defined. All furniture should be a different colour to the walls and floor and should not block the route to the exit or bathroom. Many people living with dementia have short-term memory problems, meaning that they cannot remember what they have placed inside their drawers and wardrobes. This can cause them to become agitated and upset, constantly opening things to see what is inside. To reduce this behaviour, opting to incorporate an open, cut out, or partially open wardrobe and clear fronted drawers can work well. Because people living with dementia can
have problems perceiving dimensions, it is important that all furniture is a contrasting colour to the walls. This makes it easier for them to tell where objects are and avoid walking into things and getting hurt. You may also want to accessorise with an
overbed table. Our range of overbed tables are designed specially so the base can easily slot underneath a bed, providing the resident with a stable surface to eat, drink, or read their newspaper. They are often adjustable so that residents can alter the height depending on whether they are sat upright or lay down. The bedroom should be spacious enough to comfortably accommodate the resident, with enough room for a bed, dresser, and other furniture. The room should also have natural lighting and be equipped with window coverings for privacy and to regulate the amount of light entering the room.
www.thecarehomeenvironment.com February 2023
CARE HOME
ENVIRONMENT
The art of homely yet caring bedroom design
Digital tech and staffing Reducing falls
Volume 8 Issue 2 February 2023
www.thecarehomeenvironment.com
THE
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