Home Design Guide - Sunrise Senior Living

Home Design Guide
COMFORT AND CONVENIENCE FOR SENIOR LIVING
2
THE COMFORTS OF HOME
At Sunrise Senior Living, each community is a unique home.
From beautifully decorated spaces to layouts designed
for the needs of older people, we create comfortable,
convenient living environments. It’s one of the many things
that make Sunrise the best choice in senior living.
Sunrise has created this design guide to help you
create inviting, personal spaces within your own home.
Our team of interior design experts have addressed
a variety of design needs, such as:
• Planning a smooth move
• Combining safety and comfort
• Design solutions for ageing eyes
• Create familiar spaces for memory support
• Making your space unique
Look for Sunrise design tips as you explore this guide.
Introduction
Every Sunrise community is packed with
great ideas that you could use in your own
home.
We asked Sunrise experts Andrea Owensby
(Senior Director of Design) and Adam Keens
(UK Director of Facilities) to share some tips.
Look out for them throughout this guide.
3
PL ANNING A
Smooth Move
At Sunrise, we do everything we can to ease each resident’s transition
to their new home. Moving to a care home may be the right decision,
but it can also be stressful. It takes time to meet new neighbours, get used
to sleeping in a new bedroom and understand the daily routine of the
community.
We encourage our residents to express their personal taste and style by
bringing their own furniture and decorating their new suite – right down to
the paint colour.
TIPS FOR DOWNSIZING
Over time, we all accumulate furniture, clothing and a variety of personal
items. Moving provides a good opportunity to identify what’s important to
keep, what can be offered to friends and family and what can be donated
to charity.
Do
… Get the exact size and layout of your new home.
Plan to bring only those items that will fit comfortably.
… Create a must-have list tailored to favourite daily
activities. For example, avid readers may want to include
bookshelves.
… Get creative. Recreate the look of a previous home with
fewer pieces, such as a two-seat sofa instead of a full threepiece suite.
Sunrise Tips
Add a touch of greenery. As well as adding visual interest, potted plants can help
to keep the air fresh and provide an absorbing hobby. If you’d prefer low-maintenance
houseplants, there are lots of options, such as aloe vera, cactus, spider plant and ivy.
4
Sunrise suggests this approach to furniture placement in our typical
one-bedroom suite.
Don’t
… Make packing decisions alone. Enlist someone
who’s less emotionally attached to items that might
not fit or be useful in a smaller home.
… Leave loved ones out of the process. Let the
person moving into their new home make as many
decisions as possible.
… Waste money on new accessories. Family photos,
art and other mementos make a new home feel familiar.
Sunrise Tips
Display items imaginatively. Choosing odd numbers of items adds visual
interest to any display. Also, play with displaying practical items alongside
ornamental pieces. For instance, a kettle could be grouped with a tea caddy
and a bowl that holds items of sentimental value.
5
S T R AT E G I E S F O R
Combining Safety and Comfort
Sunrise champions quality of life for seniors - and safety is a primary
concern. Many older people face physical challenges like limited
mobility, balance, sight and hearing. Keep these tips in mind when
decorating a new home:
Finesse your furniture. Strategically place major pieces so they can be
used for balance while moving through the room. Keep pathways clear,
particularly if walkers or wheelchairs are necessary.
Improve access. Place frequently used items in waist-high cabinets and
drawers. Keep phones near beds and sitting areas. Site lamps so they
give you unrestricted access, and ensure switches are easy to operate.
Swap dresser knobs for drawer pulls that provide an easier grip.
Prevent falls. All rugs should be non-slip and contrast in colour with
the flooring beneath. Tuck electrical cords behind furniture or use cable
management products, which are available in most stationers, DIY
stores or computer shops.
Increase visibility. Create strong contrasts in colour between major
pieces of furniture, walls, curtains and floors. During the day, allow as
much natural light as possible into living areas. At night, think about
illuminating the path between the bed and bathroom with motionsensor nightlights.
Create a fall-proof bathroom. Place seating in front of the sink and
in the shower for easy, comfortable use. Install non-slip strips on the
shower floor and grab bars near the shower, bath and toilet.
6
Sunrise Tips
Makeovers made easy
Use warm neutral colours on accent
walls to create interest. Draw attention
to a focal wall by using a design feature
such as headboard or complementary
colour. Then use brighter colours on
scatter cushions and throws that you
can change whenever you want a new
look. This is an inexpensive way to
makeover a room quickly.
Sunrise Tips
Box clever
Go for smaller storage boxes
so that they don’t become too
heavy when full. For larger items,
use thinner storage boxes and
stack them on top of each other
to save space in cupboards or
under beds.
Sunrise Tips
Be practical about furniture
As well as being sturdy, furniture should
also be easy to reposition. Choose
items that are solid enough to provide
good support when they’re leaned
upon. Think carefully about safety and
ease of maintenance, too: round tables
instead of sharp cornered squares or
rectangles, no glass tops and lowmaintenance woods that require little
cleaning.
7
Design Solutions for Ageing Eyes
8
1
Create strong colour contrasts between major pieces of furniture,
walls, curtains and floors. The same applies to different pieces of
bedding - and even in the bathroom, where the toilet seat should be
noticeably darker or lighter than the floor.
2
Outline windows with curtain fabrics that stand out from the walls.
Add piping to couches and chairs to better define these pieces.
3
Natural light not only helps keep things visible, it helps you to
settle into normal sleep cycles.
4
Keep reading areas well lit. Adhesive under-cabinet lighting in the
kitchen can also help with food preparation.
5
Did you know that ageing eyes have difficulty distinguishing
between blues and greens? Only use these colours as accents
against a primarily red or gold palette.
6
Nightlights and motion-sensor lights - especially between the
bedroom and bathroom - make for easier navigation and reduce
the risk of falls.
7
Artwork and other accessories or ornaments should be bright,
crisp and clear.
8
Position reflective furniture to minimise glare. Avoid glass-top
tables, which reflect light and can also be difficult to see in dim
rooms.
Sunrise Tips
Be clever with light
These days, you can choose all
sorts of clever lighting solutions.
From touch-control lamps to
wall lights that leave more space
on your bedside cabinet. From
a textural point of view, it’s best
to choose fabric shades, rather
than metal or paper, as these
are softer to the touch as well
as diffusing light.
Sunrise Tips
Designed to be clearer
Every Sunrise community
incorporates design touches
that are suited to ageing eyes.
Contrasting colours not only
add visual interest, they are
used to help people find their
way around the community
more easily.
Sunrise Tips
Make a contrast
As we get older, our eyes need
help to see different layers and
surfaces. Contrasting colours
and textures make it easy to
spot the difference. Use sheets
and pillows in different colours,
for instance. Mix textures too a smooth sheet and a textured
duvet cover, for example - so the
sense of touch helps differentiate
items when vision is poor.
9
C R E AT I N G FA M I L I A R S PAC E S F O R
Memory Support
At Sunrise, we know that Alzheimer’s disease and other
forms of memory loss affect residents within our Reminiscence
Neighbourhoods differently. Our team values each resident’s
individual needs. We believe the home environment can also be a tool
that creates security, promotes self-esteem and engages the senses.
Sight
• Familiar photos and meaningful
décor can spark memories and
conversation.
• Busy patterns can create
frustration and confusion; avoid
designs with dark spots that may
be misinterpreted as dirt or holes.
Touch
• Textures stimulate memory;
items upholstered with
touches of lace, fur and even
denim can evoke particular
life events.
• Tactile wall art can encourage
touch and sparks conversation.
10
Taste
• Primary colours enhance appetite.
• Cups and bowls with two handles are
easier to use.
• Don’t fake it - plastic fruits, vegetables,
or even berries on silk plants can be
confused with real food.
Smell
• Familiar, pleasant scents like coffee
or popcorn can serve as calming
aromatherapy.
• While flame candles present a fire
hazard, scented electric candles
mimic the flicker of a real flame
and release a pleasant aroma.
Sunrise offers Reminiscence Neighbourhoods for our
residents living with memory loss. These secure areas
incorporate many of the sensory elements mentioned here.
Reminiscence Neighbourhoods are also designed so that
resident suites are located next to living and dining areas,
promoting easy navigation and social interaction.
11
Making Your Space Unique
Above all, Sunrise builds and designs its communities to warmly
welcome each and every resident. Once safety, convenience and
overall support are incorporated into the design, it’s time for the
fun part: Individual style.
THAT PERSONAL TOUCH
• From quilting to figurine collections to favourite artists,
the décor should reflect each resident’s tastes and interests.
• Personalised interiors also provide conversation starters for
visitors.
ENCOURAGE SOCIAL INTERACTION
• Ensure plenty of guest seating.
• Group furniture in a way that encourages conversation,
such as placing seating in a semicircle.
• Display interesting art, awards, photos and other personal items
in a way that sparks conversation.
Sunrise Tips
Carefully chosen possessions.
Which things will you keep and which will you want to hand on to family or
friends when you downsize? Think about keeping possessions that do more
than simply look good. Vases and boxes, for instance, can be useful as well
as decorative. If they’re associated with fond memories, even better!
12
At Sunrise, we fit a personalised ‘memory
box’ outside each suite that showcases
each resident’s own unique stories,
talents and interests. The piece not only
encourages conversation with neighbours
- it also enhances our residents’ feeling of
familiarity and belonging.
13
Sunrise Tips
Display photos on shelves. Shelving provides an easy way to display treasured
photos without having to hang frames on the wall. Clustering pictures together
also helps your room to appear less cluttered.
Keep an open mind. Cupboards and drawers are great for storing things
you need close at hand. Too much can make the room appear cold and
impersonal. However, too much open storage space can look a little messy.
Think about what could be put away - paperwork, for instance - and what
you’d like on display.
14
Sunrise believes growing older doesn’t mean
that home should be any less comfortable, stylish
or inviting. We encourage our residents and their
families to use this guide to create homes that
celebrate the past, present and future!
For more tips from the Sunrise design team, visit:
sunrise-care.co.uk
15
The Sunrise Design Team is a full-service,
in-house interior design department with
expertise in aesthetically pleasing, functional
and safe home design for older people. With
the utmost dedication to our Principles of
Service and Core Values, the team creates
homes that incorporate:
• T
houghtfully selected design features,
finishes, furniture, fabrics, window
treatments and more.
• S
pace planning and placement of lighting,
art and accessories in a manner that best
meets the needs of older people.
• Full compliance with relevant building
regulations and furnishing standards.
sunrise-care.co.uk
SSLUK 06/14