Every nursing home has a duty to provide its residents with a safe, secure, and comfortable environment each day and night. If you have noticed that the interior looks a little tired, or if you feel your current equipment is no longer suitable, you must make changes to maintain or improve standards.
Your goal should be to introduce improvements that will increase on-site safety, accessibility, comfort, and infection prevention. If you are ready to make a change, continue reading to learn how to upgrade a nursing home.
Install Commercial Stairlifts
Mobility and accessibility are essential in any high-quality nursing home. If residents will occasionally or frequently use the stairs, you must install dependable commercial stairlifts in your facility.
However, you must choose commercial stairlifts that adhere to ADA requirements. Also, they must be safe and flexible to match your nursing home’s needs and suitable for varying heights and weights.
Update Your Bathrooms
If a nursing home’s bathrooms are tired and outdated, it might be the right time to renovate the spaces. Replace worn traditional tiles with a modern wet room with level access, which can improve resident safety, comfort, and independence when bathing or using the bathroom.
A bathroom upgrade will also improve your nursing home’s appearance, encouraging families to arrange a place for an older loved one.
Add Zone-Based Activities
If you’ve yet to do so, consider providing residents with zone-based activities to keep their minds and bodies busy each day. For instance, you could create:
- A memory lane corner
- A relaxing reading nook
- A gardening patch
- A technology area – a perfect place for residents to video call distant loved ones
- An interactive sensory room
Introduce Dementia-Friendly Lighting
As some residents may have dementia, it is essential to install dementia-friendly lighting across the nursing home. As you know, people who have dementia may process light differently, meaning a nursing home’s lighting can affect their general mood, health, and safety.
For this reason, it’s essential to install dementia-friendly lighting to improve their circadian rhythm and spatial orientation, prevent falls, and reduce behavioral and psychological symptoms (BPSD).
For instance, install dynamic circadian lighting to mimic natural light throughout the day, which can help prepare residents for sleep and prevent sundowning. Also, introduce lighting that will reduce glare and shadows, as people with dementia often struggle to process contrast, which may increase their risk of falls in a nursing home.
Dementia-friendly lighting prevents unnecessary accidents from occurring while making it easier for residents to move independently. It is a small change that could make a big difference to their quality of life in the nursing home.
Improve Infection Control
If your nursing home’s carpets appear worn and dirty or the furniture looks damaged and well-used, you shouldn’t hesitate to replace them.
Removing old, well-used furniture will reduce bacteria in the nursing home, helping to create a safer, more hygienic space for all residents. Also, you should replace all items with antimicrobial, durable materials that are easy for staff to clean each day.