The Modern Expectations of Care Home Furniture

The words care home reinstates with so many as a space for just older people or a place where the interiors will be dated and stuffy. This may have been the case ten years ago but in recent years this has been turned on its head, in fact, many care homes are now on par with modern hotels.

Statistically, we know that people are living longer, have more disposable income and are well travelled, therefore their expectation levels are higher. With this in mind, Cubix is always looking at how we can address the issues facing our clients whilst being sympathetic to their budgets.

We know it’s of the utmost importance for care furniture to be comfortable and robust but it doesn’t need to be clinical or dated.

Within this blog, Cubix discusses the recent changes in the care home furniture market, what is expected of the modern care home and how design can dramatically improve occupants’ experiences and attract more business for your care home.

The Modern Market

In recent years, care homes are increasingly requesting interiors that require a high level of design expertise to create comfortable, stylish interior environments, resulting in a new dependence on the correct design in order to meet customer expectations.

The days of care home interiors with an institutionalised, highly practical feel is quickly becoming a thing of the past, as evidence shows that care homes with the correct interior design will have higher occupancy levels and ultimately, generate greater revenue.

 

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Image Source: Country Court Care

Family First

A space designed well and fit for purpose stimulates and encourages interaction and wellbeing, this should be paramount when choosing a home for your family or even yourself.

From the perspective of the family, deciding to move their beloved relative into a care home with an environment that feels more modern and less institutionalised will be an easier choice, as they will take comfort in knowing that their new home will still feel affluent and not too different from the home comforts they will likely be leaving behind.

Home Comforts

Although care furniture comfort will be high on the list of requirements for residents’ other elements are also changing, residents now want a well-designed environment, more on the lines of an upmarket hotel and to sometimes include areas such as a gym, spa and hairdressing salon.

The care furniture and décor need to be relatable and the layout of the room should encourage social interaction with clusters of seating, ideally with varying seat heights so that residents can select a chair which most meets their comfort needs.

 

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Image Source: Rowan Court Care Home

 

When thinking about areas such as the community lounges, dining rooms and bedrooms Cubix have many options for furniture to make sure these areas can be enjoyed by all residents.

A tea and coffee station with grouped care furniture is also popular in residential care, where the residents can go and make a drink for themselves if they are able and interact with other residences.

With many residents having very limited mobility, they will be spending a lot of time in the same spaces and using furniture such as chairs almost all of the time. With this in mind, it is crucial to ensure that the contract furniture you choose is very comfortable. Whilst comfort is a massive factor, as mentioned previously, care furniture with highly practical attributes doesn’t have to look so institutionalised anymore.

 

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Image Source: Wales News Service

 

Along with better options on contract seating these days there is also now a large selection of impervious contract fabrics available which are tactile and much nicer to sit on and look at rather than opting for the usual vinyl finishes.

With more imagination and thought for the people who will be buying into their new home, a high level of design and finishes can be achieved.

All of the above is easily achieved if the brief is in the right hands with the correct tools. To find out more about care home furniture please contact Cubix with your enquiry.

Take a look at just a small selection of our care seating available.