How ergonomically designed seating can help nursing home seniors maintain independent living

Autonomy is very important for people, especially for the elderly living in nursing homes. Autonomy is particularly important among older people with physical impairments. Although they usually have the ability to decide how they want to live their lives, in practice they are often unable to make some decisions with full autonomy or are only partially involved in decision-making. In order to do these things, older people have to rely on the people who care for them. However, we currently have very limited understanding of how older residents of nursing homes maintain autonomy in their daily lives and how caregivers can be involved in their decision-making and help implement it.

The amount of physical activity required by older people may gradually decrease with age and frailty. It is therefore particularly important to ensure that older people have the correct sitting posture to promote physical function and mobility. Occupational therapists and physiotherapists can provide expert advice, but as participants in nursing home programmes we also need to have a basic knowledge of the subject to better support the care needs of older people. This guide will help you understand how ergonomic seating design can provide better support and comfort for older people, thereby improving their quality of life.

Group Needs for Nursing Home Projects

An older person with good mobility may spend about six hours a day in a chair, while for those with limited mobility, this time may extend to 12 hours or more. Therefore, chairs need to be designed not only to provide comfortable support, but also to have features that make it easy to get in and out of to help minimise their discomfort. At the same time, the design of the chair should also help to enhance the elderly's willingness to move around and their ability to take care of themselves. For example, reasonable height, ergonomic armrests and firm support can help them stand up or sit down more easily. This thoughtful design not only enhances older people's independence, but also encourages them to maintain their daily mobility, leading to a more active and confident life.

Proper Sitting Posture

Sitting for long periods of time is a common cause of back and neck pain in older adults. While proper activity is better for your health, sitting for long periods of time is a daily reality for many older adults, making it especially important to maintain proper sitting posture. Keeping your back straight, your knees naturally bent, and your head aligned with your shoulders when sitting can help reduce stress on your body. Bending forward may temporarily feel more relaxed, but it can overstretch the ligaments of the spine, which can lead to back and neck pain in the long run. We encourage seniors to maintain a ‘neutral spine’ position as much as possible. This is the ideal position to help reduce discomfort and strain.

1. Seat back - The back of the chair should be slightly tilted back to relax the spinal muscles, reduce pressure on the discs, and relieve discomfort caused by sitting for long periods of time.

2. Armrests - Armrests can provide support for the arms and reduce the pressure on the shoulders and upper back. The height of the armrests should be appropriate to allow the forearms to rest naturally, and also to facilitate the elderly to sit down and get up, thus enhancing safety.

3. Lumbar support - A built-in lumbar support or portable lumbar cushion helps to maintain the natural curve of the lower back and reduce the pressure on the lower back. Such support devices are particularly helpful for older adults, providing a comfortable sitting experience while being less costly and easier to use, making them ideal for protecting lumbar health.

Considerations When Choosing Chairs for Nursing Homes

To ensure that the chair is suitable for the elderly, it is important to consider the internal dimensions. This includes seat height, width and depth, and backrest height. 

1. Design

Nursing home furniture should be aesthetically pleasing and create a warm, non-clinical atmosphere in the home. After all, no one wants to live in a place where hospital style is everywhere. Good design has been proven to lead to greater comfort. Warm, welcoming furniture design can help older residents feel more at home in a nursing home. However, finding furniture that is durable, easy to clean, and truly welcoming may not be easy.

Fabric selection is another important factor in senior living furniture design. For seniors with dementia or Alzheimer's disease, who may be unfamiliar with their surroundings, clear and recognisable patterns are especially important. However, furniture fabrics with figurative patterns, such as flowers, may cause them to try to touch or hold onto these ‘objects’, and when this is not possible, it may trigger frustration and even undesirable behaviour. Therefore, furniture fabrics should be chosen to avoid confusing patterns to better meet the needs of elderly residents and provide a warm and safe living environment.

2.Functional design

Elderly people living in nursing homes have specific physical needs which, once met, will have a positive impact on their mood and health. Furniture choices for nursing homes should be based on helping residents remain independent for as long as possible:

l Chairs should be sturdy and equipped with armrests with a good grip so that older people can get up and sit down on their own.

l Chairs should have sturdy seat cushions for independent mobility and be designed with open bases for easy cleaning.

l There should be no sharp edges or corners on furniture to avoid injury.

l Dining chairs should be designed to fit underneath a table, which should be at a height suitable for a wheelchair, making it easy for older people with different needs to use.

A chair with all these features is available to you from Yumeya:

The arm of the chair

Armrests make it easier for them to sit or stand, and are essential for that sense of autonomy and confidence everyone is looking for. By working with Tiger, an internationally recognised powder coating brand, Yumeya's armchairs are 3 times more durable and can easily withstand everyday knocks. The chairs will keep looking good for years. At the same time, the high-strength design provides them with optimal strength support, and the angle between the legs and the floor is designed with safety in mind.

Aluminum frames

Aluminum frames are the most popular choice for furniture in nursing home projects because they are corrosion resistant, lightweight and strong. They are also easy to mould and can mimic a variety of surfaces, such as wood. Commercial grade aluminum frames with a wood look will provide ample support and durability without detracting from the welcoming residential look that should be sought after in senior living environments. aluminum is also a non-porous material, so it resists surface bacteria and mould, making it more hygienic and easier to maintain, especially in senior living environments.

Please note that if you are interested in purchasing these chairs, please place your order early! In order to ensure that orders are produced and shipped in a timely manner, we have a cut-off date of 30th November before the Chinese New Year holiday in China. Please place your order early to avoid peak season delays that may affect the progress of your project.

Finally, we have a few suggestions regarding the layout of nursing homes:

Spatial layout and safety design can effectively alleviate the perceptual, motor, balance and memory problems of the elderly brought about by ageing. As loss of spatial memory (degradation of hippocampal memory) is one of the earliest memory deficits in patients with dementia such as Alzheimer's disease, the design of nursing home environments should give due consideration to spatial familiarity and predictability in order to enhance the sense of security and autonomy of the elderly. For example, the layout of rooms in a nursing home should be clear and logical, so that the elderly can easily find the entrance to their rooms and be able to move smoothly through common areas to reach key locations such as bathrooms. Similarly, group activity areas should have clear signage and clearly visible directions to bathrooms, so that the elderly can find them quickly and with less confusion when they need them. As older people's physical functions deteriorate, familiarity and predictability in environmental design become even more important.

In nursing homes and care centres, older people often spend a lot of time in public areas, so proper planning of these open spaces is particularly important. Scientific furniture layout not only facilitates social interaction among older people, but also ensures that those with mobility problems can move freely and safely through the space. Properly planned furniture arrangement should minimise the obstacles encountered by the elderly when walking, avoid excessive accumulation of furniture or narrow passageways, and ensure smooth passage of assistive devices such as wheelchairs and walking aids.

Seating should be arranged in groups to facilitate communication among older persons and to provide necessary support for those with mobility problems. Chairs should be placed against the wall or close to the corridor, and avoid placing them in the middle of the passageway so as not to impede access. At the same time, it is important to keep the passageways near entrances and exits unobstructed, so as to make it easier for older persons to choose suitable seats according to their own circumstances and to avoid the inconvenience caused by having the seats too far away from the entrances and exits.