Design That Supports Recovery: The Role of Furniture in Behavioral Healthcare

In behavioral healthcare facilities, more thought needs to be given to just about anything in the rooms to help keep everyone safe and to promote health and improvement over time. The right furniture can make a significant difference in the overall look of the facility, the safety of the patients, and even the ability of patients to recover from any mental health concerns. Purchasing furniture designed for behavioral healthcare specifically can do a lot to help support recovery for all patients, including the following.

Maximize Safety While Adding Comfort

Safety is a concern in behavioral healthcare facilities, and even the furniture can be used by patients to harm themselves or others. That’s why it’s important to look into behavioral health furniture. This furniture is designed to maximize safety for patients and others in the building by being harder to use to cause injuries. It can’t be lifted easily, can’t be used to tie a ligature, and isn’t going to be easy to break. It’s still incredibly comfortable, but it is much safer compared to other types of furniture available today.

Create a More Calming Space

According to color psychology, there are some colors that tend to make people feel more energetic, like reds, oranges, and yellows. These colors have a lot of energy themselves, so they tend to encourage people to wake up and move. For behavioral healthcare facilities, this could be problematic for some patients. Instead, it’s a much better idea to look into calming colors that help patients to feel more at ease when they’re at the facility. Behavioral health furniture is made with more muted, calm colors, which helps patients to feel calmer and more relaxed when they’re at the facility. This can help them throughout their recovery.

Flexible Options for Any Space

Behavioral healthcare facilities often need to be flexible to make sure the needs of all patients are met and to be able to help patients feel more comfortable while they’re at the facility. The furniture should provide flexible options that will fit in any space and look great, as well as be comfortable for all who use them. The behavioral healthcare furniture available today is flexible to meet the needs of any facility, while still being durable and comfortable. It’s the perfect combination for a space where both comfort and safety are a concern.

Well-Designed Spaces for Staff

Staff members will need spaces designed to find their work and make sure they have the space they need to get everything done. Whether it’s a comfortable chair to sit in while working with patients or a desk that works well for them when they’re doing paperwork, finding the right furniture can make a difference. The latest in behavioral healthcare furniture keeps staff in mind by providing options that are going to be an excellent fit for their needs throughout the day. This can help staff to be comfortable and able to get everything done to support their patients throughout their recovery.

Minimize Maintenance Concerns

With standard furniture, maintenance is needed over the years to make sure it stays in good shape. If anything is broken off the furniture, it will need to be fixed, or the piece may need to be replaced. This adds up to quite a bit of time and money in the long run. However, with behavioral health furniture, the durability helps to minimize potential maintenance concerns. It is a good idea to inspect the furniture for any maintenance needs periodically throughout the year, but staff won’t have to do as much to keep the furniture in excellent condition year after year.

Minimizes Potential for Infections

Some furniture, especially with cloth pieces, can cause the spread of infections or diseases within any healthcare facility. This can lead to outbreaks within a facility, which could push back the recovery of some of the patients. The behavioral healthcare furniture, though, is designed to be easy to clean and care for, so the potential for infections or diseases to spread can be significantly reduced. This helps to keep everyone, patients and staff alike, healthier and safer when they’re in the facility. The focus should be on behavioral health, not the potential transfer of infections and diseases, and the furniture can help with that.

Reduce Institutional Appearance

The institutional appearance common in behavioral health facilities can be depressing for patients. They may start to feel this way the moment they enter the facility, and that can make it harder for them to recover. But, furniture doesn’t need to give an institutional appearance to be safe for patients. The right behavioral health furniture reduces the institutional appearance and makes the space look more inviting, encouraging patients to feel hopeful about their stay. This helps to reduce the depression they may feel when they arrive and can help them settle in to the space faster, which helps support a faster recovery.

Social interactions, whether it’s a natural interaction between patients or a group meeting, can be incredibly beneficial for patients while they’re recovering from mental health-related issues. Some furniture, though, isn’t designed to help with this. The way the seats are set up can make it harder for everyone to face each other, especially for spontaneous conversations, and social interactions end up being minimized. With the right behavioral healthcare furniture, though, social interactions can be encouraged, and this can help patients recover faster. It’ll be much easier for them to interact in a positive way to help them with their recovery.

Whether a new behavioral healthcare facility is opening or an older one needs to be renovated, choosing the right furniture is crucial. Opting for furniture designed with behavioral healthcare in mind can help make it easier to find the perfect furniture to help keep everyone safe and to support patient recovery. Take a look at the different options today to see the unique choices available and to find the perfect pieces for your behavioral healthcare facility.