Health and Aged Care spaces have so many specialised requirements. Safety is of prime importance, in a way that just isn't matched in an office environment. The spaces are typically very busy, and usually need to deal with 365 days per year of use. There is specialised equipment around, cleanliness is much more critical, and constant wheeled traffic is much more common. If you are designing a healthcare or aged care space, there are several unique considerations for flooring. We look through your options for solutions to the floor covering dilemmas in healthcare.
Patient wellness Providing a warm comfortable environment
It is well accepted that patients recover faster in environments that resemble the traditional home more than the traditional hospital. Mental wellbeing and a sense of comfort is essential to assisting the body's natural healing processes, so carpet is usually the preferred healthcare flooring where patient wellness is concerned. Colours and patterns that resemble those found in nature have been found to promote a sense of comfort and wellbeing in people this love of all things natural is a common phenomenon known as biophilia and these patterns simply can't be found in linoleum or wood flooring.
Patient safety
Especially in aged care environments, spaces should be specially designed for those with uncertain footing. The traction that carpet provides greatly reduces the risk of slips and falls; of special concern in the elderly. Even in traditional healthcare environments, many of the users will not be steady on their feet, and so reduction of the potential for slips and falls is a major benefit of using carpet tiles for healthcare flooring.
Underfoot comfort
While the clients in aged care and healthcare facilities are usually bed-or seat-bound, the staff are often on their feet all day. The shock absorbency of carpet compared to linoleum or wood flooring helps reduce leg fatigue and generally improve physical wellbeing for staff.
Carpet tiles offer a much better solution for wheeled traffic. They are low resistance, and help reduce lower back fatigue and over-exertion.
Infection control
New solutions are appearing that remove the compromise from designing a healthcare space, where comfort/warmth/insulation compete with sanitation. A leading carpet tile manufacturer has patented the anti-microbial Intersept, which inhibits 99% of all bacterial growth. The system does not need to be replenished it is guaranteed for the life of the product.
Health and Aged Care spaces become so much more warm and inviting with
carpet, as well as comfortable and health-promoting; yet with the more advanced commercial carpets on the market, there are none of the perceived hygiene or movement issues that are usually associated with carpet.
