Top 5 considerations for seating in care homes
Are you supporting a service user or relative who’s living in a care home and wondering what factors you should consider when buying supportive seating? That’s exactly what we’re going to explain in this guide!
1. Pressure relief
The risk of pressure sores increases with age because the skin changes, becoming thinner and taking longer to heal. Poor sitting posture, having limited mobility, and spending long periods of time sitting are also risk factors. It follows that pressure ulcer prevention should be a prime consideration when buying supportive seating for someone living in care. If pressure damage has already developed, the priority should be on treatment, then prevention of further damage.
2. Falls prevention
Data from hundreds of care homes using the HelpFall Post Falls Decision Support Tool shows that one of the leading causes of falls in care homes is falling, slipping or sliding out of a chair. In the majority of cases, this could be prevented by specifying appropriate supportive seating based on individual care needs.
3. Moving and handling
If a service user requires assistance to transfer to and from a chair by using a stand aid or hoist, for example, then supporting safe moving & handling for care staff is paramount. The same is true if a service user needs to be moved around the care home in their chair. The right seating solution can also reduce the number of transfers required for a service user – by having a porter recliner chair, for example.
4. Maximising wellbeing and maintaining independence
Supporting service users to remain as mobile and independent as possible, for as long as possible, should be part of a personalised care plan. Given the benefits appropriate seating can offer, including improved circulation, digestion and respiratory function, optimising physical health and wellbeing is equally important.
5. Upholstery
At first, the upholstery of a chair may not seem a prime consideration for care homes. In reality, it is – for functional, regulatory and health reasons. Generally, waterproof and wipe clean upholstery is a must for hygiene and cleaning purposes. Chair upholstery in a care home must also be Crib 5 fabric, which makes it compliant with UK fire regulations. Upholstery also plays an important role in supporting pressure relief, and there are specially designed fabrics available to allow a service user to get the benefit of a pressure relief seat cushion.
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Natalie Webber
