What is a Seclusion Room?

A Simple Definition for Seclusion Room

A seclusion room is a safety room where most outside stimulus is eliminated allowing a child or adult to “reset” and feel calm.  Seclusion Rooms may also be called “safety rooms,” “de-escalation rooms,” or “time-out rooms.”

While most people can walk through life and deal with changes in stress in relatively healthy ways, there are people who struggle with stressors such as those with sensory processing issues, those who have issues with strong emotions, or those who are on the autism spectrum, where the normal stressors of life create a greater burden upon them than most people.  A seclusion room is there to help “overloaded” people with a safe, calming environment to “recharge their batteries,” so to speak.

Gold Medal Safety Padding covers existing walls, floors, and ceilings with seamless padding that cuts out noise and greatly reduces any chance for injury.  The lack of stimulus and exterior stressors helps a person in the seclusion room feel calmer.

Seclusion Rooms Are a Need for Some People

Seclusion Rooms are ultimately about safety.  This includes the safety of the user of a seclusion room as well as caregivers.  For example, seclusion rooms are used in schools as a “last resort”on days where medication and behavioral interventions aren’t working.  The seclusion room allows the student to calm down and keeps the student and staff from getting hurt if the child is acting out toward staff.  

We like the term “de-escalation rooms” because that gives us a better picture of what we are trying to achieve with these rooms.  These rooms are not meant for punishment, for convenience, or anything other than short term use to de-escalate a potentially harmful situation. As de-escalation rooms, they are also designed to be calming.  Children will even occasionally request use of our rooms to be able to calm themselves down and feel centered again.

Aren’t Seclusion Rooms Bad for People?

The reason Seclusion Rooms sometimes get a bad reputation is because they sometimes get mis-used.  It is not the room’s fault, but the caregivers fault when the room is used for the wrong purposes. Does that mean we stop using seclusion rooms?  Well, sometimes people have a bad experience in the bathrooms, does that mean we stop using bathroom?  Silly question, right?  No, we correct how these rooms are used.

A Obvious Warning

We cannot say this enough…seclusion rooms, as well as all behavioral interventions, should be done strictly within the guidelines set by your state and organization leadership.  These guidelines should be created by professionals who know how to properly use de-escalation techniques, including the use of seclusion rooms. Well-made guidelines will ensure the seclusion room is used only when it is appropriate.

Seclusion rooms are often meant to be a last piece in your de-escalation arsenal.  A trained professional should try actively to de-escalate a situation first.  If all other avenues fail and things continue to get worse, then a seclusion room may be an appropriate choice.  If it is a choice between a de-escalation room and having the police drag a person away, most people would agree the seclusion room is a better final step.  We use the room to help a person became calm again, taking the potential for harm away.

Is a Gold Medal Safety Padding Seclusion Room Right for My Needs?

Our product is the most popular seclusion room installed in institutions like schools, hospitals, psychiatric facilities, and detention centers.  While you can install our product in your home, it is usually more than what most families need.

Why Gold Medal Safety Padding for Your Seclusion Room?

We are the leader in padded safety rooms in institutions for several reasons.  Our padding really does help create a quiet and peaceful surrounding. Our rooms are also seamless and extremely durable, making it harder for any user of the room to damage the room. Our rooms are also easy for your own team to make repairs if anything does happen to the padding.

Marathon Engineering Corporation has installed Gold Medal Safety Padding in numerous seclusion rooms in facilities worldwide. We have the experience and the quality products to keep people safe!

For more details on how we can help your organization with safety padding, please contact us online or by phone at 239-303-7378 (USA), or 416-572-7753 (Canada).