It’s crucial to prioritise hygiene, safety, and durability. The appropriate materials significantly contribute to ease of cleaning and maintenance. Unsuitable selections can result in expensive replacements and non-compliance with important health regulations.

If you’re planning a new build or refurbishment, it’s worth knowing what matters before making a decision. Stay with us until the end to find out what to look for and how to ensure your walls meet healthcare standards without compromise.

Hygiene and infection control

The most important factor in healthcare design is hygiene. Walls in hospitals, surgeries, and care homes face daily exposure to cleaning chemicals, moisture, and bacteria. Traditional painted walls or tiles often absorb moisture or trap dirt in joints, creating a breeding ground for germs.

PVC hygienic wall cladding offers a smooth, non-porous surface that’s easy to disinfect and resistant to bacteria and mould. It provides a sealed barrier that prevents contamination from spreading, helping maintain the sterile conditions required in medical environments.

When evaluating your options, ensure the cladding meets recognised hygiene standards and is approved for use in healthcare facilities.

Durability and longevity

Durability is another key consideration. Healthcare hallways inevitably see high foot traffic, equipment movement, and frequent cleaning. The cladding you choose should resist impact, scratches, and chemical corrosion to stay looking new over time.

Reliable suppliers like Simply Cladding provide robust PVC wall sheets that withstand heavy use without cracking or fading. Their products are also moisture-resistant, ensuring the material maintains its integrity even in humid areas such as operating theatres and washrooms. Investing in durable materials means fewer replacements, lower maintenance costs, and better overall value.

Compliance with safety regulations

Healthcare buildings must comply with strict hygiene and fire safety regulations. Before installation, confirm that your chosen cladding meets relevant UK building and fire standards. Some materials might look suitable but fail to meet the necessary criteria for clinical environments.

Reputable suppliers clearly label certification details, so don’t hesitate to ask for documentation and clarification. Choosing verified products ensures your project passes inspections smoothly and avoids costly delays and renovations.

It also demonstrates a commitment to patient and staff safety, a critical aspect of professional facility management.

Ease of cleaning and maintenance

Ease of maintenance should guide your decision. Since healthcare staff need to maintain spotless environments daily, cladding with minimal joints makes cleaning faster and more effective.

PVC panels are particularly practical because they can be wiped clean using standard disinfectants without causing damage.

Look for products that resist staining, chemical wear, and colour fading. Avoid materials that require specialist cleaning or frequent recoating, as these add unnecessary labour and cost.

With reliable wall cladding, you’ll reduce downtime for maintenance while ensuring consistent hygiene standards.

Installation and cost efficiency

Efficient installation minimises disruption to healthcare operations. Therefore, it’s important to choose cladding that’s quick to fit and adaptable to existing surfaces. PVC panels are lightweight and easy to cut, allowing faster installation, especially when compared to ceramic tiles or steel sheeting.

Suppliers who offer cut-to-size services help reduce waste and save time on site. Though initial costs may vary, the long-term savings in maintenance, energy efficiency, and durability often outweigh the upfront expense.

To summarise

Selecting wall cladding for healthcare settings requires attention to hygiene, safety, and practicality. By considering factors such as durability, maintenance, and compliance, you’ll make a choice that supports both staff efficiency and patient wellbeing.

So, whether you’re planning a refurbishment or moving into a new facility, working with cladding experts ensures your project meets the highest standards of cleanliness and performance.

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The post Choosing the right wall cladding for healthcare spaces appeared first on Silver Magazine.

Yes you read that correctly…

Falls among the older people in our community are unfortunately common. It is estimated that 1 in 3 adults over 65 and half of those over 80 will have at least one fall per year. Whilst most don’t result in a serious injury, there is always a risk of broken bones and more serious injuries. There can also be a loss of independence and a knock on your confidence.

But did you know that keeping up with your oral hygiene can actually affect the chances of you having a fall?

The link between oral health and balance

A study conducted in 2018 found that poor oral health may affect your vestibular system. This is the part of your body which is responsible for balance. Your vestibular system contains sensory organs in your ear which detect information about your body’s position.

Researchers found that jaw joints are essential for balance and that misalignment could contribute to falls. They also noted that having fewer teeth and not using dentures may link to an increase in falls. In fact, missing teeth are often associated with changes in bite, jaw stress, and even dietary limitations — all of which can indirectly impact balance and overall wellbeing. Beyond that, untreated gaps can lead to bone loss in the jaw and place additional strain on surrounding teeth, making early treatment essential not only for oral health but for maintaining stability and confidence as we age.

How dental health problems may lead to falls

Gum inflammation is a common issue for people of all ages, but it can have some nasty side effects. Inflammation can affect the complex network of nerves in your jaw. Not only can this cause pain and swelling, but it may also affect your balance.
As mentioned, the health of your jaw plays a large part in keeping you upright, so anything that causes it to be out of place or working unevenly can be an issue. Missing teeth can change the way you chew, for example. Causing your jaw to move in an irregular motion.

You may also find that if you have all your teeth and wear correctly fitting dentures your jaw is still misaligned. This is called TMJ disorder. Inflammation from this disorder can reach your inner ear, causing dizziness or a loss of balance.

Tips for improving your oral health

Keeping on top of your oral hygiene is good for several reasons, not just to reduce falls of course. One of the best ways is to keep on top of regular checkups with your dentist. They will be able to identify any issues before they become serious and get you treatment. Make sure you seek treatment if you have any concerns.

There are things you can do at home as well. Dentists recommend that you brush twice daily for around two minutes. You should also floss once a day to make sure you get in between your teeth as bacteria can hide there. To make this even more effective, consider getting an electric water flosser for your routine.

Having a balanced diet is important for your overall wellbeing, but it is also good for your teeth. Sugar is obviously bad for your teeth, so keeping away from it helps to prevent decay and cavities. Snacking on crunchy foods such as raw veggies helps your mouth to produce saliva which in turn washes away any lingering food particles.

Aiden Winn

Aiden is an editorial and production staffer at Title Media. He’s constantly looking for opportunities to have fun and get creative, whether it be art, baking, storytelling… you name it!

The post Preventing falls with good dental health appeared first on Silver Magazine.

Dying with dignity on your own terms has historically usually meant a trip to Switzerland. But there is an alternative for those who want some control over their ending. Meet the ‘Living Will’.

To some, death can be a scary concept. However, for many people, the thought of being kept alive in a state where you are unable to move, communicate, and/or recognise yourself and loved ones can be equally or even more terrifying.

…if ending your days on this planet hooked up to a ventilator, feeding tube, or oxygen mask isn’t something you’d choose, there is something you can do about it

There are a number of conditions that can affect your brain and body, including dementia, degenerative diseases, or those that affect the central nervous system, such as motor neurone disease. People with terminal illnesses like cancer can also end up having their lives prolonged way past the point anybody would wish.

There are also traumas, such as a catastrophic brain injury, car accident and so on. You get the picture. Any or all of these could leave you in a state where life is never going to improve, but you’re kept alive because that’s the law.

But if ending your days on this planet hooked up to a ventilator, feeding tube, or oxygen mask isn’t something you’d choose, there is something you can do about it.

Read more: Swedish death cleaning – get your affairs in order before you die

Have you heard of a Living Will?

Many people are unaware of Living Wills. In fact, according to a  2020 report, only 13% of UK adults have a written Living Will.

It’s also a good idea to discuss your options with healthcare professionals

A Living Will, also known as an ‘advanced decision’, is a form that allows you to refuse medical treatment if you do not wish to have it in the future.

It is legally binding in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and allows you to outline your treatment choices to your family, carers, and health professionals if you don’t have the mental capacity or are unable to communicate your wishes yourself. You plan this in advance, when you’re still fit and able. And it’s logged, ready to be activated when you can no longer advocate for yourself.

This means today you could protect the future you from having to endure the indignity of being helpless whilst you genuinely just wait to die.

It might sound brutal, but people may opt for a Living Will for many reasons, including:

– Not wanting their life artificially prolonged
– Want to make it easier for their family
– Wanting to be prepared and in control of their own choice
– Been diagnosed with a serious illness

How does this all work?

Whilst there are several ways to set something like this in motion (ask your solicitor), Compassion in Dying is the UK’s most recommended and trustworthy Living Will service provider.

Their main goal is to improve the dying experience in the UK by allowing people to take charge of how they want to end their lives.

To be clear; this is NOT the same as euthanasia. The refusal of treatment is not the same as asking someone to help you end your life.

Euthanasia and assisted suicide are the acts of deliberately ending a person’s life to relieve their suffering. They are illegal under British law. However, creating a Living Will allows you to make your own choices ahead of time, and is perfectly legal.

How to set it up

With a step-by-step guide, Compassion in Dying has helpfully made it easy. You must be over the age of eighteen and have the mental capacity to make a Living Will.

Their service includes a card, which you carry with you, a bit like the old organ donor cards

What should I think about?

Consider the circumstances where you’d want to be able to opt out of living if you could. Getting diagnosed with a terminal illness, for example, being catastrophically injured and left helpless or catatonic. But think also about the lives of those who care about you. It’s a journey that you and the loved ones surrounding you will face together, so it’s important to discuss this with them too.

It’s also a good idea to discuss your options with healthcare professionals. Explore the risks and benefits of different treatments that are available in the future, and consider what refusing treatments can mean.

In the end, your decision is yours and should be respected. If you have the mental capacity to think about how you want to be treated or not, then you should have the right to do so.

“What matters most is ensuring my family don’t have to make hard decisions about me and my health.”
Compassion in Dying

Elena Harris

Elena is one of Silver’s interns. She has a love for illustrating, reading, and all things media-related. She is a self-proclaimed coffee connoisseur who spends her free time in coffee shops sketching and journalling.

The post Dying with dignity: choosing your own exit strategy appeared first on Silver Magazine.

From one heartache to the next

This time two years ago I ended my marriage of 15 years, a week before my birthday. My husband and I lived in our apartment for another 12 months, finishing the renovations so it could go up for sale. I found a much smaller place in St Leonard’s on Sea, just five miles away, while my ex was planning to move back to his native France.

Meanwhile I was in relationship with a man I was besotted with. A man who would go on to repeatedly ghost me then leave me for another woman.

Fast-forward a year and we were finally due to exchange contracts on our flat. Only for the buyer to pull out at the last moment. I had to pay the fees for the flat I could no longer buy, along with the fees for the one we hadn’t sold. I had no work at the time, so it was a huge blow, both financially and emotionally.

It’s fair to say that life was overwhelming for both of us.

Gautier’s father had died unexpectedly during COVID and his mother had recently been diagnosed with cancer, and was undergoing brutal treatment with a bleak prognosis. We were both devastated, obviously him more than me. But I too was so stressed I was worried that I’d end up with cancer.

Guess what?

The unthinkable

Gautier had just left for France when I found a weird cocktail sausage-shaped swelling in my left breast whilst maneuvering myself into a new bikini. I was sent for a mammogram, scan and biopsies immediately after the consultant had examined me, and had a lumpectomy six weeks later.

Friends helped out post-surgery, but there was nobody to make me a cup of tea, give me a hug, do housework and make dinner. Each night I went to bed exhausted, scared and alone. I struggled physically and mentally for months, especially after radiotherapy. I was stuck in a flat I couldn’t sell, so I literally couldn’t move on with my life. And I found it hard to ask for help, so I didn’t.

I desperately needed a break before I broke.

Another article you may like: 10 things I wish I’d known about breast cancer – before I had it 

A change of scenery – the road to recovery

An all-inclusive hotel in Egypt’s Sharm-el-Sheik wouldn’t have been my first choice of destination. I was thinking more of Madeira or Menorca. However, a deal popped up for the Iberotel Redsina and the word ‘snorkeling’ jumped out at me.

I went bananas and booked a ‘swim-up’ room instead of the cheapest room, which is what the old me had always done. The sea appeared to be the same shade of blue as Paul Newman’s eyes. My body needed this like it needed oxygen.

Because it was summer and off-season – high season being spring or late autumn/winter – the resort was almost empty. I arrived at night, ordered room service and jumped straight in the pool outside my room. I swam under the soft white lights with no interruptions except the faint rustling of palm tree leaves as they swayed in the breeze.

The grounds are beautiful

There’s nothing but polite staff, beautiful flowers and palm trees everywhere you go. I felt very relaxed despite the 45-degree heat doing its best to floor me.

I’d sit cross-legged in the clear shallows playing with passing fish and little things that were like a cross between starfish and tarantulas (we held hands/tentacles)

The 60-minute deep tissue massage I treated myself to was the best I’d ever had, and I left the spa with some gorgeous Egyptian skincare products. The beach was two minutes’ walk from my room; the deep water accessed by a long jetty. I was in heaven the moment I jumped into the water.

In the main restaurant, giddy from such a vast choice of food from so many different cultures, I chose Egyptian (obvs). Dishes were beautifully cooked and bursting with flavour. I ate grilled red mullet and sardines, zesty tabbouleh, stuffed aubergines, perfectly dainty French-inspired patisserie, and about 87 different breads.

“Hello Miss Juliette, would you like to do yoga and Pilates each morning, outside in the shade?” Er, yes. After that I’d sit cross-legged in the clear shallows playing with passing fish and little things that were like a cross between starfish and tarantulas (we held hands/tentacles).

Facing phobias

I snorkeled for the first time. This was a huge deal since I have three lifelong phobias: anything covering my face, eels and the other things like eels beginning with ‘s’, and deep water. I had two panic attacks then went back in minus the snorkel, waving to beautiful blue and yellow fish as I swam along the coral. Still in panic mode, though, since I was in 40ft deep water and THERE MIGHT BE AN EEL. I don’t do things by halves.

At the zen pool I could sketch or read in peace while sipping ice-cold Sakara (Egyptian beer) with lemon. I dressed up for dinner each night and was happy to eat alone while I mopped my sweaty brow, insisting on eating outside – “I’m on holiday!” – rather than in the air-conditioned interior.

Four days later, despite a horrible flight, I came back a better, calmer version of myself. I’d been looked after, and I’d relished it. I wouldn’t recommend waiting until you get cancer to allow yourself that. But for me, I guess it was better late than never. Do go in October, though, won’t you?

www.jazhotels.com

Juliette Wills

Juliette writes about football, F1, fashion, health and interiors for national magazines and newspapers. She’s also Bexhill’s new Town Crier (true story!), runs a pet sitting sideline and heads up her own creative agency. If she’s not at home she’s in the sea

The post My cancer recovery: the charm of Sharm appeared first on Silver Magazine.

We’re living in an increasingly ageing population. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) states that “the population of England and Wales has continued to age” and that “there are more people than ever before in older age groups”. Taking care of our elders is becoming a bigger and bigger job. So how can technology help with future elder care?

18.6 per cent of the total population were aged 65 or over in the census 2021 results, “compared with 16.4 per cent at the time of the previous census in 2011”.

With an ageing population comes increasing pressure on health care services for the elderly – so is technology the answer?
Here, we look at how technological advancements could transform the ways in which we care for our elders.

Monitor key health information

One way in which technology could help us track the well-being of elders is through monitoring important health information.

Many of us now choose to wear smart watches that provide insightful health information. Like heart rate, blood oxygen levels, sleep quality and stress levels.

Wearable devices could help both family members and healthcare professionals monitor key information of vulnerable elders. For instance, it could provide data on things such as heart rate, body temperature, blood pressure, breathing rate and so on.

Detect trips and falls

The UK government states that “people aged 65 and over have the highest risk of falling” and that “around half of people aged 80 and over fall at least once a year.” Falls can cause “distress, pain, injury, loss of confidence, loss of independence and mortality.”

The use of motion sensors can help to detect trips and falls that have occurred and alert nursing staff or family members. This allows others to come to the elder’s aid quickly, getting them the assistance or healthcare they need.

Single-board computers such as the OKdo Rock can be used to create a smart and efficient fall detection system using WiFi and Bluetooth.

Track unusual movements with motion sensors

Another way that technology can assist with elder care is by helping to keep track of abnormal movements. This is particularly important for those with health conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Motion sensors can alert loved ones if their elderly relative has done anything out of the ordinary. Like leaving the house for long periods without returning. The system can send an alert to family members or health workers, so they can act swiftly and check on the elderly person’s safety.

It could also be used to track how often someone is eating or using the bathroom. Abnormal instances can be reported so that any potential health issues could be investigated.

One of the key benefits of these monitoring systems is that it allows elderly people to stay in the comfort of their home for longer – while their well-being is monitored remotely.

There are many ways in which technology can help provide effective and efficient healthcare to the elderly. Smart systems can help to monitor abnormal behaviour, detect dangerous trips or falls, and keep track of important health data.

Read more: can older adults benefit from educational technology?

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The post How can technology help with future elder care? appeared first on Silver Magazine.