When selecting furniture for senior living and healthcare spaces, there are unique considerations, as each space requires intentional, multipurpose designs. It needs to be aesthetically pleasing, yet provide safety and accessibility. Fall risks and compliance concerns are the cost of poor design, however, excellence gives the gift of dignity, independence, and comfort to the residents of the space.
This senior living furniture guide is for facility directors and design consultants, and focuses on the furniture selection process with safety and comfort as the central concerns.
What Makes Senior Living Furniture Different?
Office and hospitality furniture is designed with the average adult’s mechanics and mobility in mind. However, living and healthcare environments tend to the adult populations with a wider range of physical needs and strength challenges, as well as cognitive concerns. This urges a design beyond aesthetics.
Healthcare seating is furniture residents will need to maneuver through and staff may need to assist them in transferring to and from. As you can imagine, designing safely is of utmost importance and equally of great concern to comfort.
Key Safety Considerations
Stability and Weight Capacity
Chair and seating design in senior environments necessitates reinforced frames that support a variety of body weights and a lower center of gravity to reduce the likelihood of tipping. Lightweight and unstable furniture is one of the leading causes of fall-related injuries in care environments.
Armrests for Support
Assistive armrests that are reliable for standing and sitting offer a means of support. The feature alone helps reduce the incidence of strain-related injuries. It supports greater independence for residents who prefer not to rely on staff for every transfer.
Seat Height and Depth
The importance of seat height in the design of aged care furniture is unmatched. It is critical that a standard chair height considers the ease of standing without the risk of a fall. Additionally, chairs that are too deep can promote poor posture and diminish circulation for short-height residents. A balance of adjustable and varied seat heights is preferred in any care environment.
Non-slip, Cleanable Materials
In senior care environments there is a constant need for furniture that can easily be cleaned and maintained as well as can stand up to the daily wear and tear. Additionally, materials that can resist moisture are necessary for upholstery that can be easily sanitized. All of these materials need to retain a qualified level of comfort.
Comfort Without Compromise
It is a common belief that safety-centric furniture must have an institutional design. This belief is outdated. Today’s healthcare seating furniture have balancing design elements of safety, soft outlines and color palettes to soften the clinical furnishings.
Comfort has many dimensions. Residents who sit for long periods are at risk for developing pressure sores as well as poor circulation. Therefore, the evaluative criteria for seating foam, seat contour, and cushioning should include functional considerations and be part of the evaluative criteria for seating, rather than aesthetic considerations.
Compliance Considerations
Furniture for these environments must also satisfy regulatory compliance, beyond comfort and safety. At minimum, American Disability Act (ADA) seating design meets many design considerations for U.S. facilities, including seat height, clearance, and design considerations for residents with mobility impairments.
When assessing your suppliers, directly ask if their seating meets ADA compliance as it relates to the most up to date federal standards, and provide proof if your facility undergoes compliance checks. It will be to your benefit to work with a supplier who understands the regulations and requirements of the health industry as opposed to general furniture suppliers.
What to Expect from a Quality Furniture Supplier
When selecting furniture for a senior living or health care facility, safety and quality furniture should meet the following criteria:
- Furniture specifically designed for healthcare and aged care environments
- Variety of seat heights, widths, weights
- Medical grade upholstery
- Documentation for ADA and safety compliance
- Design flexibility to make furniture less clinical
This combination ensures your facility isn’t choosing between safety and a welcoming atmosphere – the right aged care furniture delivers both.
Final Thoughts
Picking furniture for senior living and healthcare spaces means balancing staff, resident safety, and compliance elements all at once. This senior living furniture guide aims to help with those intersections of concerns by zeroing in on the things that matter most: stability, comfort, cleanability, and compliance.
At Aura Seating, we create senior living and healthcare furniture that is designed to the strictest safety and ADA standards and regulations while also adding a little warmth for the residents and families we serve.
