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06 Dec 2022
Heavy-Duty Lounge Furniture For Challenging Behaviours
26 Apr 2021 in Design
Ensuring that all members of a community have safe spots in which to relax is one aspect of long-term behavioural management. Successful selection of lounge furniture for challenging behaviours involves balancing both comfort and safety, although these tend to go hand-in-hand.
Rest As A Behavioural Tool
Rest comes from the removal of perceived threats, and so physical circumstances can directly relieve stress and promote rest. The ability to recline and eliminate physical pressure from the body can directly affect neurotransmitter levels and promote healthy responses.
Rest is a universal need that allows individuals to relieve fatigue and gather themselves in the face of stress. Because what constitutes stress varies so much for each individual, rest looks different from person to person. It may require full privacy or some engagement with others, but it is important that the individual gets to choose this based on what makes them most comfortable.
Lounge Furniture For Challenging Behaviours
The need to give members a chance to relax may be joined with a need to accommodate challenging behaviours. A calm and soothing environment, free of threats, has the potential to de-escalate the types of challenging behaviours that may cause harm.
There are several features to look for when striving to create such a space:
- Lounge areas need to feel like home, with bright and attractive spaces to promote positivity and energy. The use of cheerful colours is an example of this.
- Furniture needs to facilitate relaxation by allowing people to rest in calming, soothing physical positions. Strong furniture can help further promote the feeling of safety.
- Attention to ergonomics helps to ensure increased comfort and security, as well as contributing to a non-institutional appearance.
- Durability, aside from driving down costs, means that space will persist through normal wear-and-tear, looking as good as new; it’s difficult to feel calm and refreshed in a worn-out space.
Furniture For Challenging Environments
In addition to creating relaxation within a lounge area, many facilities require furniture for challenging environments and needs. Owners of such facilities are particularly keen to purchase furniture that is durable and strong, with high quality evident in the furniture’s longevity.
There can be special needs for material resistance to various environmental factors and stressors. Some broad categories of features can include:
- Rounded edges to maximise comfort and reduce the risk of injury.
- Anti-ligature features to prevent the furniture from being used in self-harm.
- Physical reinforcements to ensure durability in the face of daily wear-and-tear.
- Easy to clean fabrics and materials, including ones with antimicrobial properties wherever possible.
Challenging Environments Differ
An environment that’s deemed to be ‘challenging’ will differ from place-to-place. For example, the furniture chosen to help seniors with cognitive impairment may differ from the types of furniture used in a children’s lounge.
Additionally, individuals with autism may respond differently to different furniture features, such as texture, colour or the use of regular patterning.
The ages and special needs of each audience must be factored in directly to the design to ensure that a truly nurturing environment is created.
With a catalogue of existing options from which to select as well as the capacity for bespoke furniture, Tough Furniture can design and build the environment you need.
Decades of successful outcomes have stemmed from combining our experience with service user feedback to build durable and safe furniture for challenging behaviours. All our products are designed and constructed in the UK and are backed by a 10-year warranty. To learn more, schedule a visit, request a brochure or even download a digital catalogue.
To find out more about mental health furniture in challenging environments and mental health facilities, explore our blogs:
- Specifying The Right Mental Health Furniture For Different Challenging Behaviours
- Ligature-Reduction TV Cabinets For Mental Health Facilities
- Furniture For Mental Health Facilities – What Makes The Difference
- 5 Reasons Why Specialist Mental Health Furniture Is Essential In Challenging Environments
- How To Reduce Ligature Risks In Mental Health Environments
