Providing high-quality care in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) includes more than just prioritizing excellence in the healthcare delivered. For the more than one million older adults residing in long-term care, these facilities are often home. To offer premium services and foster a strong reputation, it’s important to pay attention to the details that bring comfort and the aesthetic of a home-like setting.
Recently, a national committee reviewing the quality of care in LTC settings recommended renovation of existing facilities to create more home-like environments. The largest and most obvious component of creating this environment is the furniture chosen by a long-term care facility.
Along with choosing furniture that creates a sense of familiarity and comfort, these items are subject to other considerations: compliance with anti-tip regulations, the durability and reliability of the furniture and whether it can be easily customized to suit facility-specific needs.
At Savaria Patient Care, we’ve released two case goods collections, the Luxe Collection and the Elegance Collection, that meet all these requirements while setting the industry standard for what high-quality long-term care furnishings should be.
Both resident and caregivers alike are impacted by the environment they spend their days in. Those who choose long-term care need their room to create a connection to their life before the facility. When they are admitted, one of their first interactions with their room is storing personal items in the room’s furnishings. Imagine the impression made by outdated, unsightly or even damaged furnishings.
Attracting and retaining residents calls for a comprehensive approach to improving the quality of care offered, and that includes the environment. In a recent survey, Americans gave nursing homes a D+ rating for quality of care, highlighting the importance of shifting this perception.
Long-term care facilities place unique demands on furnishings. In the healthcare setting, frequent sanitation is a must, exposing surfaces regularly to cleaning products and moisture. Resident use of mobility equipment can expose furnishings to frequent bumps and impacts. Drawers are often used frequently and must hold heavy belongings.
Purchasing high-quality case goods represents an opportunity to avoid frequently replacing broken furniture. Savaria’s case goods collections were developed with durability in mind and are built to withstand the rigors of daily use in a healthcare setting. You can expect features like:
This approach to durability helps ensure longevity not only with routine exposure to moisture, but also heat — in smaller resident rooms, furniture may be close to heating units, and facilities often use high-heat treatment to eliminate bedbugs.
Substandard materials do not hold up to these conditions, leading to furniture that may look nice at first, but quickly deteriorates. This is reflected in typically short warranties on long-term care furniture, unlike the longer five-year warranty offered by Savaria.
Durability is one part of equation, but seamless design is another. The wrong design elements can result in a sterile, unwelcoming environment. In contrast, attention to details can enhance resident dignity and comfort by creating a caring environment with polished, warm furnishings that feel like home.
Savaria’s collections offer a variety of options for finishes and hardware, allowing a facility’s interior designer to customize furniture choices to the facility’s chosen brand aesthetic.
The Luxe Collection offers:
The Elegance Collection offers:
Both lines offer upgrade options — furniture locks with individual keys and master access, ADA wardrobe lift and flush-mount USB outlets.
This versatility provides a more seamless aesthetic in resident rooms, for example, allowing facilities to match case goods furnishings with existing headboards and footboards to create a more pleasing environment.
As we’ve illustrated, durability and design are both important, but it’s also crucial to ensure any case goods are compliant with regulations as well. The STURDY Act (ASTM F2057-23) is new anti-tip legislation affecting freestanding clothing storage units.
Older furniture that was not built to these specifications opens facilities up to liability if a resident is injured by unstable furniture. Given the likelihood of residents relying on furniture for balance and support, it is critical that it is not prone to tipping over.
Savaria’s case goods lines are compliant with the STURDY Act, giving facilities a competitive advantage when it comes to safety.
If your organization is ready to upgrade their environment to reflect a sense of quality and home, positively impacting resident satisfaction and safety, choosing Savaria Patient Care’s case goods gives facilities a variety of design options and durable furnishings backed by a best-in-class warranty. To learn more, get in touch with us today for personalized assistance including a quote.
