A home-like environment
Elderly care and retirement home facilities come in a broad range of types with a wide mix of operational models. From local council and charity operated care homes to private purpose-built complexes, budgets and practical requirements can vary considerably, but there is always one constant: the importance of giving older residents a sense of home.
Supporting the needs of residents
Despite high quality care being given, an environment that fails residents in terms of navigation, anxiety, stress and mobility will compromise their welfare. In contrast, an environment that considers unique mental and physical needs will help support a resident's wellbeing, making them feel at ease - which is why interior design is such an important factor in creating a relaxing atmosphere.
There are numerous ways to make sure that the interior design of care homes provides a friendly environment and certain factors must always be considered. For example, a good design will consider how older residents interact with and navigate safely through space at varying levels of sight and cognitive ability. It will also consider non-visual factors such as acoustics and comfort.
Floor selection in care homes
Of course, in every care home the floor finish has a functional role to play. It must be durable and easy to maintain, while also providing a safe surface that aids mobility. That said, these functional requirements need to be balanced with its role within the design of an interior.
A floor may well be durable enough to provide operators with an excellent value solution, but if it doesn’t make a positive contribution to supporting the wellbeing of residents, it is falling short. Ultimately the floor must be durable, attractive, safe and comfortable.
Creating comfort in residential settings
Our Heterogeneous Vinyl floors support the comfort of residents. Wood effects such as those featured in our Optimise 70 acoustic collection build a visual connection to nature and are familiar finishes to residents, with both these factors helping to create a relaxed environment.
These designs include Classic Oak in a range of tones that can aid contrast and perception of space, as well as a chevron plank that provides a popular design solution. Designs can be combined to aid navigation while avoiding high-contrast transitions that can be viewed as steps or gaps by the visually impaired or those residents with dementia.
By reducing impact noise by 19dB, Optimise 70 can help to alleviate the stress and anxiety caused by a noisy setting.
Enhancing independence in care homes
Due to the wide range of cognitive and physical abilities in residents the interior design of a care home has a significant challenge in making sure that it provides an environment which encourages independence. The floor can help to provide a response to this, supporting other design features such as clear signs and colour references.
Even with obvious dementia-friendly criteria, such as choosing matt surfaces, avoiding patterns and metallic ‘chip’ style designs, floor design can be used to aid navigation. For example, communal areas designed for activity could use a herringbone wood design, dining areas the same herringbone design in a different tone and then corridors or waypoints a plank style in a different tone again.
In effect, the floor becomes a system of visual cues that help residents to understand the space and navigate through it independently.
Aiding mobility and improving safety
While all floors used within a care home should provide a good degree of slip-restraint, in certain areas there is a need for a more specialised solution. Private bathrooms, communal kitchens, craft areas, catering and corridors are all places that can benefit from the additional slip-resistance of safety flooring. However, its selection is often not favoured because of poor aesthetics, such as sparkle effects that can cause confusion or uncertainty, and maintenance difficulties.
Our Isafe 70 Woods collection is the solution to the challenge of improved slip-restraint in care facilities and elderly residential homes. Providing 36+ PTV (a measure of excellent slip-resistance), the floor delivers a high-level of underfoot safety with an attractive finish, whilst ensuring it doesn't restrict mobility or hinder wheelchairs / walking frames. The floor is also easy to maintain thanks to a protective and permanent Superguard finish.
Floors to impress
For private residential care and nursing homes, attracting residents is a business priority and alongside high standards of care, the facilities are a crucial part of making a good first impression. Some care home design specialists recommend creating ‘wow’ features throughout the facility as a good way of leaving a memorable impression.
Studio Moods can help to achieve these moments, with a range of modular luxury vinyl shapes that can be combined in unique patterns. Working within the confines of tonal, natural designs, Studio Moods creates a high-spec interior feel while still accommodating the varying needs of older residents. The modular vinyl floor retains all the durability and low maintenance benefits of Luxury Vinyl Tiles.
Providing long-term value
While the floor must contribute to an environment that supports the welfare of residents, it must also deliver a finish that provides operators with value. Heterogeneous Vinyl is an affordable option for care homes, providing a floor that’s cost-effective at the point of purchase, while also delivering exceptional durability and low maintenance throughout use.
Even in residential care settings delivering a premium experience for residents, our Luxury Vinyl Tiles achieve a similar balance of affordability, durability and maintenance. Specifications can be altered according to use requirements to ensure that value is delivered everywhere from bedrooms to communal areas.
An affordable response to the challenges of care home flooring, our vinyl solutions are made in Europe and available from UK stock for fast delivery.
Vinyl floors for the very best quality of life
Briar Dene is a purpose-built residential care home in Scarborough that’s focused on providing residents with the very best quality of life. With an on-site hair and beauty salon and a panoramic sun lounge, the home offers an environment focused on wellbeing.
Enhancing resident wellbeing in a five-star setting
The Four Ferns Nursing Home is a five-star care home set in the leafy Foxrock area of Dublin. Surrounded by trendy eateries and boutiques, the facility needed a floor that made an attractive proposition for residents. Reddy Architecture turned to our Studio Moods concept and our Moduleo 55 Woods to deliver.
Vinyl floors for care and nursing homes
Supporting the needs of residents and meeting the requirements of providers, vinyl floors provide an attractive, durable and easy to maintain floor for residential care and nursing homes.
Optimise 70
Where hygiene and acoustics are a priority, Optimise 70 provides 19dB of impact sound reduction and Sanitec® anti-bacterial treatment across 54 different looks.
Studio Moods
A modular vinyl floor that can be used to create feature floors to make for lasting wow moments, Studio Moods makes bespoke floor design easier to achieve in high-specification interiors.
Isafe 70
Bringing 36+ PTV slip-restraint in home-like designs, Isafe 70 provides a floor finish that’s safe under foot for residents. More attractive and easier to maintain than traditional homogeneous safety flooring.