How to Design a Modern Nursing Home

When you think of designing the perfect nursing home typically the first thing you consider is the staff that you want and the quality of care. But what if I told you it all starts with picking the perfect floor?

Flooring is typically an afterthought when it comes to the design of any building, but the decision on what goes under your feet places a bigger part in the quality of care when received from a nursing home. The choice of linoleum or laminate can often set the scene for the health and safety of patients in an assisted care situation.

One of the biggest reasons flooring is so important is that it contributes to the feeling that one gets from the facility. One of the most important factors of designing a nursing home is making sure that you design it with the patient in mind. This means making it feel as welcoming and inclusive as their home once felt to them.

The choice of flooring in this situation is integral in determining the outlook that a patient might have on the facility in question. Choosing a stereotypical “clinical” floor might have lasting impacts on residents’ perceptions of their living status. This can negatively impact their mental health throughout their stay.

Another reason why choosing the right flooring is crucial for nursing homes is that it can slow the spread of some common bacterial diseases. By replacing carpets with flooring that is easier to clean, nursing homes can increase the security of disease prevention. These types of materials can also be coated in an antibacterial finish which allows for the prevention against germs to increase even further.

Not only can flooring increase the bacterial safety of nursing homes, but it can also help prevent one of the most common types of injuries: falls. The choice of a slip resistant or low impact floor can reduce some of the occurrence of these common injuries in the assisted care setting.

Flooring is too crucial a step to overlook in the planning process of a nursing home, however the most important thing to understand is the client. The modern nursing home needs to see an emphasis in patient based care if they plan to survive the upcoming years.

This may seem redundant because typically care is always about the patient, however a typical nursing home tends to focus more on the medical needs instead of the personal needs of the resident. Medical needs are important, but they are not the only thing that needs to be looked out for when participating in an assisted care environment.

Recreational activities like swimming or outdoor events or even cooking based activities can greatly increase the patients perception about their facility. It is becoming increasingly important that we add these things back into the care environment so patrons can feel independent.

When designing a modern nursing home you must have a grasp on all needs of a patient. This can be benefited through every detail, even flooring!