When it comes to senior living communities, they are often broken into levels of care. This not only includes programs tailored to each care level, but in many circumstances different living areas. For example, residents that call independent living communities home don’t require the same level of care of types of furniture as those living in assisted living or memory care units. Memory care furniture tends to be more rounded and easier for residents to navigate than standard senior living furniture.
It’s important to know the differences between senior living and memory care furniture when building a new community or remodeling an existing one. While with all senior living furniture certain features must be included, there are slight differences to the pieces that dwell in the memory care unit.
Considerations When Choosing Memory Care Furniture
When it comes to residents with memory issues like Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, there are certain factors to consider when choosing memory care furniture as opposed to standard senior living furniture, including:
- Color of memory care furniture can help keep residents calm and have more of an impact than in independent or assisted living environments. Pastels and muted colors are good, but don’t choose something too washed out, as it can look it’s impact.
- Contrast helps memory care residents differentiate between surfaces and navigate their environments more easily
- Furniture with hidden access for caregivers allows for enhanced care of residents with memory issues
- Furniture should be soft and comfortable with solid colors
- Consider that some residents may have incontinence issues, which requires fabrics that are easy to clean
- Position furniture to encourage engagement, rather than just placing it in front of a television
- Memory care furniture should feature rounded corners for easy accessibility that prevents injury
One of the main differences between senior living and memory care furniture comes in the color selection. It’s important to choose memory care furniture that makes it easy for residents to navigate and doesn’t impede them or could easily cause injury.
Northland Furniture Company manufactures senior living, assisted living and memory care furniture for communities of every care level. Contact Northland for more information about designing furniture specific to memory care. We take the level of consideration necessary to create furniture that helps, not hinders, residents.
