In-home care means that you can stay in the home you love but with the added benefit of knowing that when you need help, it is to hand. But your live-in carer will need a room of their own and plenty of space for them to call their own. Whether you’re looking to move home to accommodate home care services, or you’re staying put and want to make sure your space works for them too, here’s how to create a space they’ll love.
A fresh start – cleaning & decorating
If your budget allows, stripping the room back to basics and ‘starting again’ with the décor is a great place to start. Your carer will want to make the room their own and so presenting them with a clean, blank canvas means they can do this.
If the room is in good decorative order, a deep clean will be needed. This means every aspect of the room being clean so that when your carer arrives, they can move straight in.
Maximise the room’s potential
Any room, including a generously sized bedroom, will always benefit from natural light flooding in. It is also a welcoming sight when walking into the room to find it a light, airy space.
This may mean adding fresh curtains or blinds, giving both shade and privacy throughout the day.
Don’t clutter the room with furniture
Consider what your carer will need in their room – a comfortable bed, wardrobe, chest of drawers and a chair would be considered essential items. If space allows, you may want to add other pieces of furniture such as a sofa or bookcase.
The really important thing is to not cram the room with furniture so it looks like anything that can’t be fitted in anywhere else is placed in that room. But be prepared that you may need to add some more furniture or specific items at a later date.
Think of the small details
From cushions on the bed or sofa to a pleasant, colourful rug on the floor, don’t forget the small touches with well-placed accessories. The room needs to appeal visually as soon as they walk in.
Pretty accessories are ideal for any room, giving it both colour and interest.
Appeal to the senses – add a gentle scent
A space that appeals to all five senses will be a welcoming room but all too often, we forget about scent.
A gentle scent – don’t go for anything heavy like a musk scent or too a floral scent that is overpowering – wafting about the space will be most welcome. Consider a diffuser stick – small wooden sticks that sit in a scented liquid that perfumes the room.
A welcoming touch – add flowers or a plant or two
What says ‘welcome’ to a carer more than a vase of fresh flowers? Adding colour and scent, it is a welcoming gift that your carer will appreciate.
