DESSO Carpet Holds the Key to Healthy Hospitals and Care Homes
13 January 2009
In a healthcare environment, installing a healthy floor covering to maintain the highest hygiene standards while creating a comfortable environment for patients is of prime importance. Europe's carpet giant, DESSO, holds the key to the 'what floor covering to choose' dilemma with its Healthcare range. Countering common concerns about carpet, it is easy to clean, restful in design and reduces noise and dust - all for a lower life cycle cost than hard flooring.
Hospitals and care homes can be noisy environments: footsteps, trolleys, radios, televisions and conversations all contribute to a level of noise that can have a negative effect on rest and recovery. Carpet effectively soaks up sound so that patients get peace and quiet - and a good night's sleep.
Recent research has reversed misconceptions about carpet and air quality: a 2005 study by the German Allergy and Asthma Society (DAAB) found that fine dust concentration in carpeted rooms is on average 50% lower than in ones with hard flooring. DESSO's Healthcare carpet captures dirt, dust particles and allergens, which may cause irritation if breathed in, making carpet the healthy choice for hospitals.
Carpet is also an economical choice for a care giving setting. Durable, hardwearing and colourfast, DESSO's carpet for healthcare will continue to look as good as new, even after many years of use. Furthermore during cold weather, carpet is a natural insulator, saving around 6-7% of energy costs compared to hard floorings.
Practical care-giving and perceptual psychology are key factors in the visual design of the DESSO range. The colour combinations and designs give a warm, 'friendly' feel, and patterns are used to help visually impaired and dementia patients feel safer and more stable when walking.
Finally, the carpet is non-slip, walking frame friendly and, if an accident unfortunately occurs, makes injuries less severe thanks to its softness. Analysis of a random sample of accident forms found that only 17% of patients that fell on carpet sustained injuries, compared to 91% of those that fell on hard flooring.
Alexander Collot d'Escury, DESSO CCO, says: ''DESSO carpets offer many advantages of comfort, hygiene and convenience to the Healthcare sector. They are binding as well as retaining dust and other contaminants, which contributes to cleaner indoor air. And, most importantly, the carpet gives a feeling of warmth and well-being to assist recuperation and help long-term patients feel at home."
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