The landscape of the healthcare sector in Australia is shifting. With the number of current facilities far below what is required to service Australia’s rapidly ageing population in the near future there is desperate need for the development of new healthcare facilities across the country in the coming years.
The design and construction of these facilities provide new challenges to architects and designers, with the unique requirements of patients, visitors and employees each influencing design choices.
As one of the biggest surfaces areas of any interior, flooring is often the first considerations for interior design. When it comes to healthcare it is especially important to specify a floor solution that provides both physical and emotional comfort to those inside.
- Better Acoustics
Acoustic comfort can play a significant role in the recovery of patients, and the overall experience of staff and visitors. Noise levels in healthcare facilities are consistently found to exceed acceptable standards, which can interfere with sleep, hinder communication and cause high levels stress and annoyance. Carpet possesses excellent sound absorption qualities in comparison to other hard flooring options like vinyl and timber, and can greatly reduce the transmission of sound the immediate area as well as to floors below.
- Anti-microbial Protection
With advances in infection control and stain resistance in carpets, as well as anti-microbial fibres which reduce microbial build-up, modern carpet can provide the perfect flooring solution for the healthcare industry. Depending on the healthcare application, vinyl floors are more suitable for high frequency spills and cleaning, however for moderate to low spill frequencies, carpet with anti-microbial protection and impervious backing can easily be used and are a beautiful and practical solution.
- Design for Healing
The current healthcare market is saturated with boring and dull healthcare designs. It might be surprising to know that the right design in the right colour palette can actually promote faster recovery and provide a comfortable healing environment. Whilst there are some limiting factors in designing to a healthcare environment, design shouldn’t be put to the back-burner. Traditional and organic patterns and designs promote a sense of wellbeing; the colour blue promotes calming and healing properties; and the colour red is said to stimulate appetites. Utilising different colours in different areas of your healthcare facility can aid different types of recovery. However, thought should be given to the residents or clients of your facility; larger patterns or high degrees of contrast can be disorientating to some.
- Reduced Leg Fatigue
When considering appropriate flooring for your healthcare facility, most will only look as to what is best for the client, however the growing importance of providing a safer and friendlier facility for employees mean that carpet is on the rise. Carpet provides the ultimate cushioned walking surface which dramatically reduces leg and foot fatigue – especially important for carers who are on their feet all day.
- Anti-allergy Properties
Contrary to popular belief, the right carpet is actually better for allergy sufferers than hard flooring. It acts as a natural filter, trapping allergens until they are removed by the cleaning process which lessens the risk to asthma and other allergy sufferers. It is especially important to control airborne transfer of allergens and infections for the young, seated or bedbound residents who breathe nearer to the ground.
- Glare Reduction
As another major cause of annoyance and discomfort within healthcare facilities, reducing glare is an important consideration. The smooth, matte finish of carpet can help to significantly reduce glare, while reflectance levels of hard flooring types such as vinyl have been found to be six times greater than carpet.
- A Warmer Environment
Just as important as the physical effects are the psychological and social impacts of the indoor environment of a healthcare facility. Creating a warm, home-like environment not only makes the experience more enjoyable for visitors and staff, but can also aid in the recovery time of patients.
As the occurrence and management of dementia becomes an increasingly important issue for the entire healthcare industry, carpet can assist dementia patients and in turn make work easier and more satisfying for staff. Colourful carpet provides a warm and attractive home –like environment, a preferable alternative to the harsh, sterile environments created by vinyl and hardwood flooring.
Brintons
For too long selecting healthcare products has meant a choice between style and functionality; now Brintons brings you both. With a wide range of custom designed Healthcare products, they feature state of the art technologies and offer a wealth of industry experience to help achieve any needs our clients have.
With over 200 years’ experience creating the highest quality carpets used throughout the world, Brintons provide their amazing and unique designs to the healthcare sector.
Click here to find out more about Brintons range of beautiful carpets that provide safety, comfort and practicality to healthcare environments.
