Independent-minded seniors face many challenges when it’s time for them to move into a senior community. If they are unable to take care of themselves, these seniors need daily assistance, and families must encourage them throughout this new life transition. Here are tips for helping elderly loved one’s transition to a new living environment.
Create a Familiar Living Space
The transition is easier if the family adds items to the resident’s living space that look similar to their own home. While residents cannot have their entire household of belongings in the assisted living community, they can have essential items in their rooms that keep them comfortable. Seniors moving into the communities bring their clothing and personal items they need every day. They can add some decorative items that look like their favorite living space in the family home, and these items make the new space feel more like home.
Help Pack Your Loved One’s Belongings
Once a doctor requires the senior to move into an assisted living arrangement, families help their loved ones pack up their personal belongings. For many seniors, the family home has a lot of memories and many belongings they won’t need in the senior community. Packing up a lifetime of memories is too much for a senior to tackle on their own, and the family should help them go through each room and decide what the loved one will need once they move.
Add Family Photos to Their Room
Family photos aren’t just helpful during this transition, but they help with memory care and make it easier for the loved one to remember family members. A resident who has dementia in any form will lose their memory toward the final phases of the disease, but loved ones can retain more memories before they reach these stages if they are surrounded by pictures of the people they love.
Set Up Consistent Visits for Family Members
Consistency is critical for seniors who are transitioning to assisted living in Placentia, CA, and the family should maintain a regular schedule for their visits. The seniors can monitor what day it is by when their loved ones visit, and they won’t feel so alone if the family comes to see them often. Regardless of why the elderly person needs assisted living arrangements, they still need their family, and access to their family on a regular basis is always important.
Help the Senior Follow A Schedule That Agrees With Them
Major changes are not ideal if an elderly loved one is transitioning to assisted living. While they lived on their own, the loved ones had their own daily schedule, including times for sleeping and eating during the day. At first, the staff can accommodate their schedule and allow the new resident to adjust to the community schedule. There are seniors who prefer an alternative schedule, and control over their schedule makes them feel more independent. Major changes in their schedule shouldn’t happen until they are completely comfortable living in the community.
Help them Get Their Affairs in Order
Before a loved one moves into a senior community, they must get all their affairs in order, and the family must shut down utilities at the family home and prevent auto-billing for services the loved one no longer needs. The family can set up auto-billing for the loved one’s expenses in the community. If they want to sell the family home, the seniors and their loved ones need to make arrangements for the sale before the transition.
Try Respite Care First
Respite care offers a chance for a senior to stay in a senior community for up to 30 days, and they can take this time to find out if the community is the best fit. Since the seniors know that respite care isn’t a permanent transition, they remain relaxed and find it easier to adjust to living in the community. If the elderly loved one adjusts to living in the new environment well, the family can determine whether the community has room for the senior loved one on a permanent basis.
Lovely Homes for Seniors
At Crescendo Senior Living, we strive to make all residents feel at home and comfortable. Our staff knows that transitioning to assisted living after living independently is a major challenge for everyone, and we aim to keep everyone happy in their new homes and encourage all residents to make new and lasting friendships. A tour of the community helps you and your senior loved one see what we are all about, and you can set up a tour at any time.
