What Makes a Room Feel Like Home? Hilary’s Words from Catherine House in Frome

When someone is considering a move into a care home, it is natural to pause and wonder about the practicalities. Will my room feel like mine? Can I arrange it the way I’d like? Will there be space for the things that matter to me?

Behind these simple questions is something very human. People are not just moving furniture; they are bringing decades of memories, routines and identity with them. A bedroom is more than a place to sleep. It is where familiar objects sit within reach, where photographs hold meaning, where a favourite blanket or set of curtains can make the difference between feeling “placed somewhere” and feeling at home.

 

 

 

A personalised bedroom allows someone’s life to continue, not restart.

 

Hilary’s room at Catherine House is one example of how those details come together in practice.

Hilary lives at Catherine House and has done for 5 years. She and her partner, Heather, have spent years creating a life side by side, visiting places they love, collecting art, tending plants and much of that story now sits within the room she calls her own.

 

Hilary kindly agreed to share a few thoughts about what those personal items mean to her:

 

“The things in my room are a collection of places and memories that we have shared together in the past. Local places like Stourhead and Glastonbury that we used to regularly visit, especially when we had our two West Highland Terriers. There are pictures of the godchildren, other family members and my parents.

 

Art features quite strongly; two paintings from a local artist, which came from exhibitions we visited and two painted by my partner. There are postcards brought back from exhibitions Heather has visited which have allowed us to talk about places and events that are too difficult for me to see personally.

 

We have plants and recently competed with one another to grow the most spectacular Amaryllis! Hilary’s won (due in part to the constant heating), but it made for a fun pre-Christmas activity.

Outside the window I have a number of bird feeders which attract daily visits from squirrels, blue tits, sparrows and robins.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We’ve also placed two raised plant beds in which we’re able to grow a succession of tulips and daffodils, supplemented by flowering plants throughout the year. This gives us an excuse to shop at the local market’s plant stall!

 

Christmas decorations, dream catchers and other light catching ornaments are changed seasonally and usually we manage to have fresh flowers, especially tulips.

 

Having these personal items around makes me feel part of what has gone before and related to all sorts of things I have been and continue to be part of. Having my own choice of duvet covers, blankets and curtains makes me feel warmer and recognises my independent choices.

 

I like the security of knowing where things have come from and who has sent them.

 

This is what personalisation can look like when it is real: The details matter. Not just “photos”, but Stourhead and Glastonbury. Not just “dogs”, but two West Highland Terriers who were part of those days out. When a room carries that kind of specificity, it gives conversations somewhere to land. A glance at a frame can open up a story without anyone pushing for it.

 

Hilary’s room is a reminder that moving into a care home does not mean leaving your life behind. It means bringing it with you. In practical terms, that is why personalised bedrooms matter. They support familiarity, reassurance and a sense of control at a time of change. When someone can recognise their surroundings and see their own history reflected back at them, it can soften the transition and help them feel safe, known and at home in their own space.

To find out more about Cathereine House Care Home, click here

To find out more about Evolve Care Group, contact us