Moving into a nursing home doesn’t have to mean giving up the warmth and feeling of “home.”
Some nursing homes look like sterile, white-walled environments. Other nursing home communities can be more polished, with well-kept rooms and attractive amenities. Regardless of how conventionally “nice” a facility appears, your individual room may benefit from personalization. Experts suggest adding personal touches like knickknacks, photos, artwork, blankets or larger furniture items — as long as these fit and are approved by your facility — to make your room feel a little more homey.
[READ: How to Choose a Good Nursing Home: Expert Tips]
Should You Personalize Your Nursing Home Room?
Personalizing your nursing home room can be a good idea if you are struggling to cope with your move, feeling lonely or feeling nostalgic for people and possessions of your past. It can also be a fun way to show off your style, if you enjoy interior design endeavors. If you’re a caregiver moving a loved one into a nursing home, you may also want to assist your loved one in personalizing their nursing home if you notice they seem unsettled in their new environment, or you think this is something they would appreciate.
“Moves to assisted living, memory care or other levels of support often bring feelings of anxiety or uncertainty,” says Becky Bongiovanni, the brand president of CarePatrol Franchise Systems LLC, a senior care solutions franchise based in Gilbert, Arizona.
“That’s why making a nursing home room feel like ‘home’ is so important,” Bongiovanni adds. “It helps ease the emotional transition, creates comfort in a new environment and allows residents to feel safe, supported and truly at home.”
Bongiovanni has watched residents thrive after personalizing their nursing home rooms. She recalls a resident who, having formerly danced as a ballerina, had a ballet bar installed in her room to make her feel most herself.
“She was still able to raise her legs and wanted to continue to enjoy,” Bongiovanni says.
The resident also kept photographs of her performances on her wall, along with several old ballet slippers on her shelves.
“For residents, being able to personalize their home away from home is a reminder of who they are, their passions,” Bongiovanni adds.
It can be an internal mood booster, stress reducer and conversation starter with guests and staff members, as well.
How to Make Your Nursing Home Room Feel Like Home
There are several ways to make a nursing home room feel like your true home.
Before you start decorating your new home, think about what type of living space you want to create. People who feel stressed about their nursing home transition — or anxious about the health treatments they are receiving through their facility — may want decor that supports a calm, comfortable and inviting environment. To do this, Bongiovanni suggests incorporating certain calming elements into their design, such as:
— Calm colors. Items with calm colors, like blue or green
— Solid colors. Solid fabrics and items, or items without busy patterns
— Lighting. You can prioritize good lighting by taking advantage of natural light from windows or bringing in an attractive lamp or reading light.
— Functional storage items. To easily tidy your space, locate things you need and avoid stressful clutter
If that is too much, think about how you can incorporate personal touches into necessary items. For instance, can you bring a soap dispenser from home? Or purchase towels in your favorite color?
If you want to take a deeper dive into the decoration process, consider how you can use decorations, bedding, furniture and items that appeal to other senses (like scents) to your space.
Decorations
Some decorations you might use to personalize your nursing home room include:
— Sentimental knickknacks, artwork and photographs that feel familiar
— Seasonal decorations
— Low-maintenance real or faux plants and flowers, as long as they are low-maintenance and approved by staff
— Throw pillows or wall hangings
— Items with faith-based or inspirational quotes
— Personalized calendars that include things like family birthdays, visits and upcoming events
— Photos of loved ones — in frames, bulletin boards, albums or digital frames
— Your favorite mug
Bedding and furniture
— Your favorite bedding — blankets, sheets or pillows — from your previous home
— Home-made quilts or knitted throws, made by you or a loved one
— Add decorative pillows with your favorite colors, designs, team or seasonal motifs
— Items to make the space cozy, such as a lamp (consider a touch lamp with adjustable brightness), side table or even a favorite chair — as long as it is permitted within the facility
Scents, songs and snacks
Other less obvious elements that you can use to personalize your nursing home room include scents, songs and snacks.
— Scents. These may include essential oils, scented sachet bags, oil diffusers or flameless candles — but not items that produce heat or flame.
“In nursing homes, nothing that produces heat or flame can be used for safety reasons, so items like candles, scented plug in devices, etc. cannot be used,” says Lori Schoener, nursing home administrator at Landis Homes Retirement Community in Lititz, Pennsylvania. On the other hand, she adds that “favorite scented lotions, essential oils in an approved diffuser can be used.”
“Scents are strongly tied to memory and can spark feelings of comfort,” says Bongiovanni. Utilizing approved scented items that are familiar or appealing to a resident can make a big difference.
— Songs. Music can play from iPhones, iPads, radios, portable record players or other devices with small speakers. Personalizing a playlist with favorite tunes of the past or playing calming nature sounds may help you feel more at ease.
— Snacks. Treats, munchies and snacks can include doctor-approved favorites, such as nibbles or candies, which can put the ‘sweet’ in ‘home sweet home.’
[Read: How to Help Your Elderly Parents Start Decluttering and Downsizing]
What to Do If Decorating Feels Overwhelming
Decorating projects can be fun for some people, but overwhelming for others. In some cases, they are a mix of both. If thinking about how to personalize your nursing home room overwhelms you, consider how to simplify the process and ease into your approach.
Easy decorating ideas
If you’re searching for low-maintenance personalization ideas, Bongiovanni suggests adding small touch-points, like:
— Framed photos on shelves or walls
— A favorite blanket or pillow
— Decorating your door with a personalized sign or seasonal display
— Adding a bedside lamp
— Putting a display of keepsakes on your wall
— Faux flowers or plants
[READ: Best Gift Ideas for Nursing Home Residents.]
Avoid Unsafe Items and Over-Cluttering
You’ll want to refrain from bringing in any items that are prohibited by your facility, or things that could cause harm to your or others’ health.
Items not to bring to a nursing home
This can include flammable items, electric items, certain allergens or too many items altogether — such as:
— Space heaters
— Electric blankets
— Incense sticks and candles
— Throw rugs that can be trip hazards
— High value items
— Big, bulky furniture
“Residents’ safety is paramount, so we would not want someone to bring in so many items that make it difficult to move around safely in the room,” Schoener says.
But so long as people are careful to abide by facility rules and health goals, she encourages personalization.
“It is very important to make a nursing home resident’s room homelike,” says Lindy Hartley, assistant administrator at Landis Homes Retirement Community in Lititz, Pennsylvania. “It is their home.”
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How to Decorate a Nursing Home Room to Feel Like Home originally appeared on usnews.com
