Sustainable and health-promoting care environments

SUSTAINABLE, HEALTH-PROMOTING CARE ENVIRONMENTS

The physical environment impacts how we feel and function as humans. In no other place is this as true as in care environments. Johan Franzén, Kinnarps Next Care ® Concept Manager, strives to focus on the individual and to create sustainable, health-promoting interior design solutions that support residents, staff and relatives.

WHAT IS THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND YOUR AND KINNARPS WORK WITH CARE ENVIRONMENTS?

It is simply knowing how good things can turn out when they're done right. We have a number of projects that we’ve come a long way in. I’m not talking in terms of economic resources, but in that these care environments have been designed based on solid, up-todate knowledge and on identifi ed needs. Though it may be a reason to rejoice, it is also a source of frustration. We wish that everyone who needs an environment like this would be able to have it.

We think we have found the key to creating sustainable, health-promoting care environments for the future, and naturally, we want to create more of them.

WHAT ARE THE GREATEST DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CARE ENVIRONMENTS THEN AND NOW?

In the 1980s and 90s, specifi c functions, dimensions and standards were established for furnishing care environments. At the time, these were important steps. However, many modern-day projects are still based on these outdated requirements, which haven’t changed at pace with what we have learned and how needs have changed. In our experience, people often ask the wrong questions, which unfortunately leads to getting the wrong answers. Today, we need to meet the needs of the individual rather than strive for large-scale standard solutions. The care environments of the future are solutions that are unique, sustainable, stand the test of time and factor in many parameters, where the value, well-being and independence of the individual are at the core.

WHAT FEATURES OF FUTURE CARE ENVIRONMENTS STAND OUT MOST?

There is no one-size-fi ts-all solution that can be applied to all operations. Before you can make a change to the physical environment, you need to reach consensus on the vision and goals, identify needs and involve the people who will be impacted by the project.

The end result is so much better when your view of interior design is a long-term and holistic one and when it is planned early on in the process. Having said that, there is a great deal of general knowledge out there that can be applied to all care environments, such as determining what demands should be made, what things should be prioritised and what things should be avoided.

In the end, it is all about people’s health, quality of life and well-being.

WHAT DEMANDS SHOULD WE MAKE ON THE INTERIOR DESIGN?

Functionality is an absolute must. We integrate functionality directly into our furniture to avoid the feeling of being in an institution. For example, levers and buttons are integrated into the furniture, not on. It’s all in the details: armchairs that are both stackable and can be hung, surfaces that withstand disinfection, durable, easily removed fabrics that can be washed in 60 degrees and furniture with sanitary gaps between the seat and back to prevent dirt and bacteria being trapped. Height adjustable tables to suit the individual and tabletops with sound-absorption for good acoustics.

It is also important to take a holistic view – uniformity in your interior design solution creates a sense of calm. Colours, contrasts, sounds and fragrances make a world of difference in how people navigate an environment and whether or not it feels safe and stimulating. Aesthetics, in the form of art, harmonious colour palettes, views from windows, plants and furniture with soft rounded shapes and tactile materials can offer positive distraction.

In other words, it is important to take hard values such as hygiene and ergonomics into consideration, but also to make room for soft values such as aesthetics and sensory input. Flexible, safe, supportive interior design solutions to meet different needs. Attractive shapes paired with natural, tactile materials such as wood, leather and beautiful, durable, textured fabrics. The purpose is to create an inclusive environment for interaction and integrity,

one that is tailored to the needs of the residents, staff and relatives. For example, a poorly planned dining area can feel unsafe, antisocial, noisy, exclusive and discriminating as well as be a drain on resources. Well-considered interiors and furnishings can change such a situation and result in an entirely different reality.

WHAT SHOULD YOU CONSIDER BEFORE STARTING A PROJECT?

To start, identify the current situation and envision how you want to work in the future. Do your research and involve different stakeholders. In the Kinnarps Next Care ® concept, we have consolidated our long-term experience designing care environments into a method

containing tools to help you take the steps necessary for changing your physical environment. It is based on our Manual for creating healing spaces, a guide that provides tangible requirements lists and advice for creating the most ideal care environment for your specifi c operations. During the process, we analyse and compile the insights gained into a report which also contains what we recommend for your physical environment before taking the next step.

The report acts as a source of knowledge for drawing up and purchasing your interior design solution and helps ensure that you make the most appropriate investment for your facility. At this stage, it is fundamental to ask for functionality and solutions that live up to the values of your organisation, rather than specifi c products. This demands more of us as suppliers, but also leads to better results. In an ideal world, more parties would look more at the total economics, including effects on health economics, (the long-term value of the investment) rather than the short-term cost.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO LOOK AT THE TOTAL ECONOMICS OF A CARE ENVIRONMENT?

It is all about people’s health, quality of life and well-being, not only of the residents, but of staff and relatives, independently and in conjunction with each other.

When you have the right interior design, people feel and function better. It can have tangible effects such as reducing the number of falling accidents and heavy lifting. It can also be about the subjective experience of the environment, which when good, can improve health and reduce pain and stress. Such positive health effects can also be fi nancially advantageous in that interiors and furnishings better withstand the test of time and that they reduce the cost of elderly care and staff sick leave. The theory that the cheapest price today will be the highest cost in the future is particularly true for priorities made in physical environments and how they are procured. I have diffi culty understanding how the quality levels of residential care facilities and other care environments can differ so greatly. They should be equal over the board so that everyone can live a dignifi ed life.

A poorly planned dining area can feel unsafe, anti-social, noisy, exclusive and discriminating as well as be a drain on resources. Well-considered interiors and furnishings can change such a situation and result in an entirely different reality.

ABOUT JOHAN FRANZÉN

Johan Franzén is Kinnarps Next Care ® Concept Manager and Product Range Manager at NC. He has worked with interior design solutions and furnishings for care environments for a number of decades and has collaborated with healthcare experts in research and practical application to gain a wealth of knowledge.

Read more about Next Care ® on page 24.