Nursing Home Design Guide
2006
2. Common Options
and/or only partially able to bear weight.
Consider a more residential approach
Space for lift access and staff
including some of the following:
assistance should generally be
accommodated in Nursing Home
A grooming center or vanity, mirror,
bathing suites. Lift features and sizes
power for dryer and shaver
vary and include mobile versus fixed
Wheelchair scale and/or other
equipment such as lifts attached to
methods for weighing residents
specific tubs. Dimensions of several
Cabinets for personal items
models should be accommodated in the
Space for hanging robe, personal
design:
clothing or cover.
Wheelchair storage/parking
Hydraulic and manual standing lifts
Wheelchair hair washing facilities for
Hydraulic and manual seated lifts
persons who do not use the central
Supine bath transfer systems
Shower chair to minimize the need
facility.
for pull-down benches and lift
3. Full-Assist Showers in Bathing
Suites
Best practice has been to minimize use
Bathing suite showers should be
of lifting methods that elevate or
designed to accommodate needs that
suspend residents into the air. No one
cannot be readily met in typical resident
method appears to satisfy all resident
room showers. Typically, a 7'-6" x 7'-6"
needs due to factors such as overall
[2286 mm x 2286 mm] or equivalent
weight and size as well as their weight
floor area will accommodate:
bearing capacity as well as ergonomic
A resident, seated in a shower chair,
preferences of the caregiver(s). Design
and a staff assistant
teams are urged to obtain experienced
The space necessary to move the
professional input on specification, to
resident
ensure that the lift supports the types of
Space for the assistant to circulate
residents to be transferred in veterans'
around the person being showered.
homes while minimizing staff risks.
4. Assisted Tubs
6. Basis for Establishing Clearances
Needed for Lift Use
Specific tubs and their lifts must be
selected prior to establishing room
Lift clearances should be based on
layout.
equipment for bathing and options for
transfer. Bathing lift examples and sizes
5. Lift Use
appear in several websites. Illustrations
Bathing suite dimensions should
of lift space can often be found in
accommodate the base of each lift,
manufacturer's brochures. However,
which may have "closed" and "open"
information on required clear floor space
positions, and footwork room for the
may have to be directly requested from
resident and one to two staff members.
the manufacturer.
Mechanical lifts have increased in
popularity, particularly where the
Sponsors are strongly advised to
resident is larger than the staff member
accommodate a space of about 7'-2"
3 - 25
Office of Facilities Management
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