If, like us, you like a good interior design challenge, then you’ll love the latest news from our Dundee care home Balhousie Clement Park.
Giving TV design shows a run for their money, our residents set themselves the task of transforming a former dumping ground in the home to a functional activity room.
The space at Clement Park had been used to store unused furniture and other items when residents claimed it as a place for games, hobbies and relaxation.
There followed an ideas forum, where residents decided on the colour scheme, and on an impressive landscape mural that covers one wall.
Then staff and residents set to work painting and creating. Now, the room boasts a flatscreen TV, comfortable seating, clever and functional storage for arts, crafts and games, and an activity counter. There are also ‘touch and feel’ boards for interactive use, making the room a sensory space as well.
Dave Wilson-Wynne, Quality Improvement Partner with Balhousie Care Group and an expert in dementia, who helped with the project, said: “This was a defunct space that was crying out for a transformation. By transforming it into an extra activities space for Clement Park residents, and involving them in the design and refurbishment, we killed two birds with one stone. It’s part of the Balhousie philosophy that residents drive their own care decisions, and this is a perfect example of them busting the myths surrounding care homes and doing just that. We’re really impressed with the results – we think they’ve done an excellent job!”
