In recent years, the central living space of the nursing or retirement home has become increasingly more important. Particularly in nursing homes with an outdated layout that made it easier for people to stay in their rooms and fall back to isolation, it is crucial that there is a comfortable, shared space that helps fight loneliness.

As the true ‘heart’ of an elderly community, the common living room deserves the necessary care and attention to grow into a space where everyone feels at home, where fun activities are held and where the people can enjoy the homely atmosphere together.

In which ways can we make a living environment more pleasant, and help contribute to a better quality of life? In this blog we give a few factors that have an effect on people’s experience in a space, seen from the perspective of seniors.

The right balance between stimuli and peacefulness

One of the greatest challenges when decorating a nice living space for elderly, is finding a balance between too many or too few stimuli. When inside a room there are too many sounds or impressions, this will cause a restless feeling. But under-stimulation due to too few stimuli can result in a lonely feeling, boredom and dissociation from one’s surroundings.

A great way to prevent under-stimulation, is to add some fun to daily life. In addition to collective activities, it is also perfectly possible to provide some games inside the space that the elderly can independently pick up when they have a desire for a good time. Based on this idea, we at International Senior Concepts create games for the elderly, which fit beautifully and effortlessly in any interior. Probably our best mood maker, the interactive BRYM table, therefore contains all kinds of animated games for elderly, as well as fun light effects that help better understand the game and turn the game into a complete, magical experience.

To also keep the peace inside the room and create a nice equilibrium, make use of sound-absorbent furniture, curtains and other additions that help cancel out echoes and transform a cold, reverberant room into a cosy living area. Plants can also help absorb unwanted sound stimuli, which brings us to our next tip:

Bring nature inside

Lush houseplants can quickly make a room more lively and are proven to have a positive effect on our mood. Especially for elderly who due to ailments have little to no freedom to go outside, you can create the opportunity to experience feelings of liveliness, movement and relaxation inside, surrounded by growing, flourishing plants.

Plants also help purify the air and raise the humidity inside the room, which results in less dry dust particles floating around to breathe in. When the nursing home is located next to a busy road, houseplants can help improve the air quality inside the facility and filter harmful pollutants in the air.

As an additional step, aromatic plants can help people recollect nice memories of the past. Furthermore, fresh cut flowers are naturally associated with special occasions, celebrations and happiness. Both can truly brighten up a room and have a greater effect than one would think.

For the bigger part of human history, we’ve lived closely to nature. It’s only natural that a home with animals and plants and a lively atmosphere gives us a warm feeling. Caring daily for plants also gives the elderly an extra activity and purpose they get to enjoy for a long time.

When plants aren’t an option, or if you want to make a green living space even greener, beautiful wallcoverings with plants or beautiful landscapes prove to be a great addition.

Wood: so much more than a material

The positive effects of plants and nature also fit well with this next tip: use wooden materials and furniture to add a warm feeling to your space. Not only is wood durable and sturdy which radiates feelings of security – wood is also connected to feelings of peace, purity and living in harmony with our environment.

With this in mind, we also make the majority of our elderly play concepts from durable, warm, soft wood. We have created a beautiful Swedish ladder made only from FSC-certified wood, and our games for seniors fit well in any interior thanks to their neutral design.

When the flower doesn't bloom, fix the environment - not the flower

It proves to be a true art form to take into account all of the things that have an effect on our experience within a space, but all steps are worth taking. From lighting to colours, smells to sounds, there are endless possibilities to help improve our elderly’s quality of living.

For more information on how International Senior Concepts helps to create a playful, homely environment for our residents or patients, feel free to contact us.

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