One of the biggest headaches in the care industry, especially care homes which cater for those with complex needs and challenging behaviour, has been the high turnover of furniture which they have to contend with. A lot of ‘care furniture’ either doesn’t look nice, being too clinical or old-fashioned in a modern care setting, or isn’t designed with the challenges of the care industry in mind.
But now a company, based in Bury, Greater Manchester, is changing that.
After 15 years in the furniture and interiors industry, Danny Healey, of Den Living, saw a gap in the market for a highly functioning, aesthetically pleasing chair that ticked all the boxes for the care industry, bringing to the market the ‘Jigsaw Chair’.
As the name might suggest, the Jigsaw Chair comes in four separate pieces, and can be easily put together on site at the care home, with no bolts needed – it’s held together by the frame itself, being hooked together, just like a jigsaw.
And the best part? If a part of the chair is ripped or damage in its environment, you can simply send the piece back to Den Care and, as long as the frame is still intact, the part will be replaced for a 50 per cent discount – perfect for environments where furniture gets damaged regularly.
The chair, designed with consultation from people from within the care industry, is covered in anti-microbial vinyl material, which is flame retardant, waterproof, stain resistant and hypo-allergenic too, perfect for even the most challenging of care environments. It’s stitched tightly at the seams and around the edges of the seat, a feature especially important for environments which deal with incontinence. It further has a gap at the back to prevent spilled liquids pooling in the chair, a design feature often overlooked by other manufacturers. Made from the softest of foams, and with high arms to enable elderly patients to get up, it’s the chair that the care industry has been waiting for.
Speaking to Danny Healey, he said, “At Den Care, we believe that everybody has the right to live in a well designed and considered environment. There’s no reason why those with complex needs or with challenging behaviour shouldn’t have a good-looking, well designed piece of furniture in their environment. Having spoken to countless people from within the care industry, from nurses to care home managers, we’ve listened to exactly what they need from a chair, and created this to tick all the boxes.”
Furthermore, all furniture is made on site in Bury, meaning that the chairs can be adapted for a variety of environments and according to specific needs.
The Jigsaw Chair was unveiled last week at the Care Show, which took place at Birmingham NEC, and was showed to people from around the United Kingdom who are all experts in their field within the care industry.
To find out more about Den Care, head to www.den-care.co.uk or email info@den-care.co.uk
