The variations in the types of commercial furniture that are required for health and care facilities are significant.
Suppose you were to take a look at the websites or catalogues of commercial furniture suppliers, especially those who supply the health and care sector.
In that case, you will be amazed at how many products there are, not just the more common items such as office chairs and desks, but furniture which is specially designed for those who are being cared for or treated in those facilities.
Care facilities where the choice of furniture purchased for its residents is hugely important, especially in aged care facilities.
Given that those being cared for are in their senior years and may have health or mobility issues, and in many cases, both, simply buying standard furniture is not going to be acceptable, nor to the benefit of those elderly residents.
One specific type of commercial furniture that this principle applies to more than any other is chairs.
With many aged care residents spending much of their day sitting in the lounge or their room, it is paramount that those chairs they are sitting in have features that both support them properly and make them as comfortable as possible.
For that to be achieved, anyone purchasing chairs for a care facility with elderly residents must ensure that they assess the features of any chairs they are considering.
Remember that it is unlikely that any aged care facility will simply buy dozens of chairs that are all exactly the same, or at least we hope they do not.
Each resident will have individual needs and therefore bulk buying identical chairs is at best foolish, and at worst failing to provide the level of care that is required.
Several chairs with similar features would be fine, but that is balanced by the potential of possibly having to buy a single chair for one resident given their needs.
As for the features you want to see in all the chairs that you purchase, here are five of the main ones:
Durability: From a practical and financial view, you do not want to be replacing chairs in your aged care facility regularly, which is why the first feature we mention is durability.
From being sat on for hours on end, to it being bumped against by tea trollies, walking sticks, and walking frames, a chair needs to be able to stand up to all sorts of abuse, even though most of it will be accidental.
Manoeuvrability: An obvious way to achieve this is by purchasing chairs that have castors so they can be moved easily to another position.
If not, then at least having chairs that are lightweight enough to be moved by staff and those residents who are able, should suffice given that residents will want to sit in different locations from time to time.
Sufficient Support: With residents in an aged care facility far more prone to physical ailments, the chairs they sit in must provide them with adequate support.
This includes not just back support, but support laterally on each side, support beneath them in the seat cushion, and even for their feet, for maximum benefit.
Easy To Clean/Maintain: There is no escaping the fact that in a residential facility for the elderly, there are occasionally going to be cleaning needs that you may not have in other facilities.
We will not go into details, but it is sufficient to say that having the means to clean and maintain chairs easily and fully is a key requirement that is helped if you purchase chairs that are specifically designed for that.
Aesthetics: We cannot finish this article about chairs for aged care facilities without mentioning the aesthetics of the chairs you purchase for it.
Whilst you must prioritise the features relating to how a chair will benefit your residents, it is also a valuable use of your time to find chairs that are going to enhance the appearance of the rooms they are in, which, we are sure, will be welcomed by all who use them.
Posted: November 26, 2025 by Health Summit
5 Key Factors You Must Assess When Selecting Chairs For Aged Care Facilities
The variations in the types of commercial furniture that are required for health and care facilities are significant.
Suppose you were to take a look at the websites or catalogues of commercial furniture suppliers, especially those who supply the health and care sector.
In that case, you will be amazed at how many products there are, not just the more common items such as office chairs and desks, but furniture which is specially designed for those who are being cared for or treated in those facilities.
Care facilities where the choice of furniture purchased for its residents is hugely important, especially in aged care facilities.
Given that those being cared for are in their senior years and may have health or mobility issues, and in many cases, both, simply buying standard furniture is not going to be acceptable, nor to the benefit of those elderly residents.
One specific type of commercial furniture that this principle applies to more than any other is chairs.
With many aged care residents spending much of their day sitting in the lounge or their room, it is paramount that those chairs they are sitting in have features that both support them properly and make them as comfortable as possible.
For that to be achieved, anyone purchasing chairs for a care facility with elderly residents must ensure that they assess the features of any chairs they are considering.
Remember that it is unlikely that any aged care facility will simply buy dozens of chairs that are all exactly the same, or at least we hope they do not.
Each resident will have individual needs and therefore bulk buying identical chairs is at best foolish, and at worst failing to provide the level of care that is required.
Several chairs with similar features would be fine, but that is balanced by the potential of possibly having to buy a single chair for one resident given their needs.
As for the features you want to see in all the chairs that you purchase, here are five of the main ones:
Durability: From a practical and financial view, you do not want to be replacing chairs in your aged care facility regularly, which is why the first feature we mention is durability.
From being sat on for hours on end, to it being bumped against by tea trollies, walking sticks, and walking frames, a chair needs to be able to stand up to all sorts of abuse, even though most of it will be accidental.
Manoeuvrability: An obvious way to achieve this is by purchasing chairs that have castors so they can be moved easily to another position.
If not, then at least having chairs that are lightweight enough to be moved by staff and those residents who are able, should suffice given that residents will want to sit in different locations from time to time.
Sufficient Support: With residents in an aged care facility far more prone to physical ailments, the chairs they sit in must provide them with adequate support.
This includes not just back support, but support laterally on each side, support beneath them in the seat cushion, and even for their feet, for maximum benefit.
Easy To Clean/Maintain: There is no escaping the fact that in a residential facility for the elderly, there are occasionally going to be cleaning needs that you may not have in other facilities.
We will not go into details, but it is sufficient to say that having the means to clean and maintain chairs easily and fully is a key requirement that is helped if you purchase chairs that are specifically designed for that.
Aesthetics: We cannot finish this article about chairs for aged care facilities without mentioning the aesthetics of the chairs you purchase for it.
Whilst you must prioritise the features relating to how a chair will benefit your residents, it is also a valuable use of your time to find chairs that are going to enhance the appearance of the rooms they are in, which, we are sure, will be welcomed by all who use them.
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