10 Ways to Make Care Home Rooms Feel Like Home

When someone moves into a care home, their room becomes more than just a place to sleep. It becomes their personal retreat and area to unwind. Creating a warm and familiar space within that space can make a significant difference to how well a resident settles in and their overall experience. Thoughtfully chosen personal items, familiar scents and a few homely touches can help turn a basic care home bedroom into a place that truly feels like home. For many residents and their family members, this process is about maintaining a sense of identity, emotional well-being and comfort in a new environment.

In this blog, we explore how families and care teams can work together to bring personality, warmth and cherished memories into a care home room. From using residents' favourite colours and soft furnishings to playing familiar music or displaying photographs, there are many ways to make a new room feel more personal and familiar.

1. Displaying Belongings with Emotional Value

Personal items often hold sentimental value and can be powerful tools for helping someone feel comfortable in a new environment. A treasured photograph, a family heirloom, or a much-loved book can act as a comforting reminder of home and loved ones. These cherished belongings can bring emotional value that supports residents' well-being and can help create a familiar environment that feels both safe and reassuring.

2. Using Favourite Colours to Bring Comfort

The use of a resident's favourite colours in their décor is a simple yet effective way to add a personal touch to their care home bedroom. Whether this is through bedding, pillows or soft furnishings, familiar colours can evoke positive memories and make the space feel inviting. This attention to detail also shows residents that their preferences are at the heart of their care journey and can make all the difference in how comfortable they feel in their surroundings.

3. Filling the Room with Familiar Scents

Scent has a powerful link to memory and can instantly transport someone to another time or place. Familiar smells such as a preferred air freshener, a favourite perfume, or gentle scented incense can make their new bedroom feel more like an extension of their own home.

4. Incorporating Familiar Items and Treasured Possessions

Familiar items from someone’s previous living space, such as a favourite chair or their own bedding, help to create a sense of familiarity in a care home room. Residents may also be able to bring some of their current furniture to enhance the homely environment, but make sure to ask the specific home manager about this. The presence of these well-loved objects can be incredibly reassuring and is often essential in creating a welcoming environment that reflects a person’s life and memories.

5. Adding Photographs and Memory Boxes

Creating a dedicated memory box or photo display in a loved one's room can be a brilliant way to bring cherished memories into everyday view. Photographs of family and friends, past holidays, special occasions and fellow residents can add warmth to a care home room and create a strong visual connection to personal history, especially for those living with dementia. These displays brighten up the room and act as meaningful conversation starters that encourage residents to share stories and build new relationships with fellow residents and staff.

6. Installing a Phone Line or Bringing a Mobile Phone

It is important for residents to know that moving into a care home isn't the end, it's just the start of an exciting new chapter. They can still continue doing what they love most, but in an environment that can support them and provide a higher quality of life. By installing a phone line or bringing a mobile with them, residents can keep in touch with their loved ones at the times most convenient for them and help their new environment really feel like home.

7. Playing Familiar Music

Music is a deeply personal tool when creating familiarity because it can bring back fond memories and encourage residents to relax and improve their mood. When moving in, you could bring a portable CD player and a selection of residents' favourite music, as they will associate the environment with the things they love most and help them feel more at home.

8. Involving Family Members in the Transition

When family members get involved in their moving transition, it helps the care team get a better idea of how they can help residents settle in and feel at home. As they know the residents best, they can show the care team where specific items should go and create a positive association between residents and their new bedroom. It also strengthens the bond between the staff and loved ones, as they will continue to play a large role in the care journey.

9. Creating Routine and Familiarity

A resident's room isn't just made up of the objects inside, it is also how it gets used on a daily basis. Maintaining their current routine such as having a hot drink at a particular time, reading in a favourite chair or having their bed made a certain way, can create a space that promotes comfort and consistency. Familiar routines paired with a familiar space can have a huge impact on emotional well-being and help the resident quickly settle in.

10. Bringing Residents' Favourite Hobbies or Games

Most care homes will have a varied activities programme that provides residents with regular activities, all tailored to their interests. When moving in, residents are encouraged to bring any games or hobbies they want to continue doing, as this can help them feel at home and fill their days with the things they enjoy most. This could be their favourite knitting needles, board game, puzzle or anything they are interested in. They are a great way for residents to unwind in their cosy environment, or an opportunity to connect with other residents and team members.

Providing an Environment Our Residents Can Call Home at Thornfield Care Home

At Thornfield Care Home, we understand the importance of making the transition into a care home one that is as seamless as possible and full of compassion. We want our residents to be able to consider Thornfield their home and support them with personalising their en-suite bedrooms however they wish to. Our team also encourage family and friends to get involved, as we understand the importance of incorporating those closest to you during each new milestone.

Our residents are at the heart of everything we do and we strive to provide the utmost levels of care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Whether somebody joins us for residential care, dementia care or respite care, they can rest assured that our care home in Seaton is somewhere they can call home.

To learn more about how we support our residents with customising their bedrooms, get in touch. We would love to meet you and show you what makes us so special.