Care homes do not have to make radical changes to their interior design following the Covid-19 pandemic, but there are some improvements providers can make to improve safety.
This is the message from the Care Home Interiors Company managing director Kerry Southern-Reason on our latest supplier special podcast.
“There can be a view that interior design has to change. For example, no longer putting carpets in care homes and moving back to wooden floors. Actually, carpets fibres act as a mini-filter system,” she said.
Southern-Reason added there are many quick wins, and design changes care homes can make following their experiences over the past two years.
She points to research into how care homes should look to widen corridors and consider the impact humidity can have in different areas. There are also ways to lock down specific parts of a home where there has been an infection, such as a cinema, gym or hair salon.
“Even in an older building, you can make improvements, such as installing a ventilation and heat system that will extract germs but retain the heat,” she said. “With newer buildings, we are using larger windows with trickle vents to generate a constant and gentle airflow.”
In addition, when it comes to reducing energy costs, Southern-Reason said care homes should look at installing more curtains and any other fabrics that absorb and retain heat.
“And the fabrics nowadays are so good because they use antimicrobials. It is possible to clean them effectively after spillages, so they are not acting as a virus hoarder.”