A package of Altro products has been fitted in a new £10m dementia-friendly ‘super’ care home in Scotland, helping to create the ultimate environment of comfort and support for residents.
Crosslet House in Dumbarton is a 90-bed, ultra-modern complex that incorporates a Dementia Unit and Day Care provision. Owned and managed by West Dunbartonshire Council (WDC), built by Morgan Sindall and delivered as part of the Hub Project in Scotland, the new facility is the result of a £20m investment by WDC to replace six residential care homes and four daycare centres.
Morgan Sindall and Altro are supply chain partners on the Hub Project in Scotland, and Crosslet House is the first of these projects where a full Altro specification has been maintained from start to finish.
In creating Crosslet House, WDC has responded to the growing population of older patients with dementia with an innovative approach to the management of care homes. It has undertaken a significant amount of research around the use of space and colour to assist those with dementia. Crosslet House is a ‘home for life’ for residents, which means comfort, support and dignity are paramount.
The overarching aim was to create a facility designed to meet the specific needs of people with dementia, removing many of the stresses and obstacles that can make the disease so frightening.
Navigation can be challenging for people with dementia, so WDC used four primary colours to denote ‘houses’, helping residents identity their own home. The entire building is colour coded to ensure it meets dementia design criteria.
Each resident in Crosslet House has their own private ensuite bathroom, and Altro PiscesTM safety flooring, in the dark grey shade Anchor, was fitted for style, comfort and safety. This product has a soft, homely appearance, with superb slip resistance, and performs whether wet or dry and with bare feet or shoes. Altro Pisces was also fitted in various medical rooms, toilets and staff showers.
Altro Whiterock SplashbacksTM have been fitted in various locations around Crosslet House to provide a striking, yet hygienic alternative to tiles. Standard White has been installed in the ensuites behind mirrors, and in each of the colour-coded kitchens; Scarlett in the ‘Red’ house, Viola in the ‘Purple’ house, Key Lime in the ‘Green’ house, and Taxi Cab in the ‘Yellow’ house.
To create a warm, homely environment throughout Crosslet House, Altro Wood SafetyTM flooring in the shade Urban Cherry was fitted in general circulation areas, corridors, dining and living rooms, colour-coded kitchens, hair salon and staff room.
The classic and proven combination of Altro StrongholdTM 30 safety flooring and Altro Whiterock™ White wall sheet was fitted in the Crosslet House main kitchen and kiosk shop to provide the ultimate hygienic, safe environment.
Back of house areas at Crosslet House such as the laundry, cleaning service storage, sluice rooms, infection control room and stairways, were fitted with Altro WalkwayTM 20 safety flooring to ensure optimum safety and reliability underfoot.
Crosslet’s ITC room was fitted with Altro WalkwayTM 20 SD, the static dissipative version that minimises the of damage to static-sensitive equipment, such as computers.
Crosslet House Support Services Manager, Rhona Aitken, assesses the impact of the Altro products one year on: “The feedback we have had so far from relatives, residents and visitors in general has been wonderful,” says Rhona. “Everyone says Crosslet House is like a plush hotel!
“The colours and finishes of the floors and walls give a lovely overall ambiance of homely warmth, and help to create a bright, welcoming and stylish interior. The Altro products are certainly delivering the non-clinical feel we wanted to achieve, and it’s fantastic to see residents feeling so at home here.
“Safety is a huge priority at Crosslet House, and we are delighted with the flooring, particularly in the ensuites, because it’s completely secure under foot for both residents with bare feet, and staff wearing shoes. The wood effect flooring is also very safe, but smooth too, and it looks beautiful.
“We are very impressed with the hygiene capabilities of the floors and walls. There are no joints, cracks or bubbles for the dirt to hide in, so hygiene is maximised and this is vital for the health of everyone at Crosslet House. Cleaning couldn’t be easier; our regime has kept it all looking as pristine and fresh as it did a year ago.”
Please visit www.altro.co.uk for more information.
The project and products
The flooring was installed by McGarry Flooring, and the walling by Veitchi Interiors. The products used are as follows…
Altro Pisces offers 16 soft-look shades; the result is the consistent, soft appearance desired in domestic interiors, with the lifetime sustained slip resistance you expect from Altro.
Altro Whiterock Splashbacks are a hygienic, low-maintenance, convenient and easy to install alternative to tiles. Available as kits in a range of sizes to suit most hand wash basins and vanity units, or custom sized for the perfect fit, this range gives the flexibility to coordinate or contrast. A vast array of colours and finishes is complemented by colour-matched sealants.
Altro Wood Safety is an attractive, general purpose 2mm wood-look flooring available in a range of designs with different plank sizes and shades, including a bamboo-look fine-line design and wide plank classic and rustic designs, helping to create the right look for areas where people live and work. Altro Wood Safety is also hard-working and designed to cope with medium to heavy traffic, and has sustained slip resistance for the lifetime of the floor.
Altro Stronghold 30 achieves Altro’s highest rating for slip resistance and is designed to minimise risk in areas exposed to grease, oils and fats for the lifetime of the flooring. As well as helping to keep staff safe from slips, it also helps reduce their fatigue, thanks to its 3mm thickness, which provides noise reduction and comfort underfoot.
Altro Whiterock White is the proven, hygienic alternative to tiles that’s impact resistant, grout-free and easy to clean. Its smooth white surface and classical purity make it a timeless choice for any interior.
Altro Walkway 20 is a hugely popular, hard-wearing flooring, with a range of 42 colours. It delivers sustained slip resistance throughout the lifetime of the product and also includes abrasion resistance, PUR cleanability, and superior chemical and stain resistance.
Altro Walkway 20 SD is the static dissipative version that minimises the of damage to static-sensitive equipment, such as computers.
All photos are used with thanks and credit to McAteer Photograph.
