For those that manage an aged care facility, there will be a need to purchase commercial furniture of all kinds including office furniture, furniture for visitors, and most importantly of all, the furniture for the aged residents who live in the facility.
Whilst we hope that you want to ensure that the visitor and office furniture you purchase is given adequate thought and consideration, when it comes to selecting which furniture your long-term guests will be using.
Providers like Atama Furniture understand these needs well, offering options designed specifically for comfort, safety, and long-term durability in aged care environments.
As for what we are classifying as furniture for this article, we will mainly be focusing on seats, chairs, and tables, given that these are what the residents of your aged care facility will use most throughout the day.
Thankfully, there are many experts and people who are well-versed in aged care facilities and the needs of their residents.
As such, here are ten of the tips they suggest to those who wish to purchase new furniture for an aged care facility.
Tip #1 – Purchase A Variety Of Chair And Seat Styles, Shapes, And Sizes: An aged care facility will have residents of all ages, sizes, needs, and mobilities therefore buying 50 identical chairs is unhelpful.
Mix up the sizes, styles, and heights to match the specific needs of residents across the board.
Tip #2 – Ensure Residents Can Get Out Of Chairs Easily: Chairs that are low, deep, and soft and which even young and fit people would struggle to get out of, are not what you need.
Ensure that the chairs you purchase have designs making it easy for residents to lift themselves out.
Tip #3 – Place Emphasis On Comfort Rather Than Appearance: There is little point in having stunningly beautiful furniture if none of your residents is comfortable when using it.
By all means, buy attractive furniture, but prioritise the practicalities of it and the comfort it provides.
Tip #4 – Pick New Furniture That Compliments The Existing Furniture: If you are keeping some of your furniture and bearing in mind Tip #3, you should try to get new furniture that matches or is at least similar to your existing furniture.
Tip #5 – Dining Chairs With Wheels Or Castors Are Advisable: Given the logistics in the dining room when your aged residents are eating, it is sensible to have some, if not all, dining chairs with castors to enable staff to easily assist residents to get in and out from their dining table.
Tip #6 – Vinyl Seats Are Easiest To Clean: Occasionally food is certainly going to be dropped onto chairs during dining times, which is why it is advisable to have vinyl dining chairs or dining chairs that are easily cleaned, rather than fabric ones.
Tip #7 – Choose Dining Chairs With Openings At The Back: For the same reason (dropped food), having dining chairs that are fully open or at least ¾ open at the back, allows food to fall to the floor where it is easier to clean up than if it lands on the chair.
Tip #8 – Purchase Side Tables That Are At The Same Heights As Chairs: Making it easier for residents to reach cups of tea or a book they have put down, for example, can be achieved by having side tables at the same height as the chairs they are next to.
Tip #9 – Light Coloured Furniture, Especially Wooden, Is Preferable To Dark Coloured: There is no escaping the fact that walking sticks and frames, vacuum cleaners, and food trollies will all bump into the furniture.
Light colours will hide the marks created better than dark furniture, especially if it is made from wood.
Tip #10 – Ensure Tables Are Practical For The Room They Are In: If you are buying a table for a room, such as the communal sitting room, ensure it is of a size and position that makes sense.
For example, a tiny coffee table stuck in the centre which is well beyond the reach of the residents is of little use to anyone.