While many families may want to keep their loved loves living at home for as long as possible, in many situations, there will come a time where you and your family can’t give your loved one the level of care they require. At times like these, you may want to consider having your loved one move into an assisted living facility.
Although this transition can be a tough one for everyone involved, there are things you can do to help make everything go smoother for your elderly loved one. To help you see how this can be done, here are three ways to help your loved one settle into their new assisted living facility.
Bring Things From Home
Leaving their home and moving into a new place can be very scary for your loved one. So to help make this new place not seem so unfamiliar, Caring.com suggests that you do what you can to make this new place feel as much like home as possible.
If your loved one has pictures or other favorite items that they like to use or look at when at home, make sure you bring those items with them as they move into their new assisted living facility. Even if it’s not something that may traditionally be brought in, if it’s something that it’s possible to move with them and will help to make them feel more comfortable in the new environment, try to do everything in your power to make it happen.
Encourage Them To Get Involved In Their Community
While it’s great for you and other family members or friends to frequently visit your loved one while they’re living in their new home, you can’t be there all the time as the other residents of the facility are.
Because of this, Anne-Marie Botek, a contributor to AgingCare.com, recommends that you try to encourage your loved one to get involved in their new community. By trying out new activities, joining some groups, and just getting involved in the goings-on around the facility, your loved one will more easily be able to integrate themselves into the fabric of this new environment and find their place.
Speed Up The Get-To-Know-You Process
Even with your best efforts to make this transition easy, there’s very little you can do by way of preparation for your loved one to be moving into this new space. And while there’s going to be a bit of a learning curve on all sides, you can speed this process up by giving the workers at the assisted living facility some information about your loved one before he or she arrives.
According to Carolyn Rosenblatt, a contributor to Forbes.com, you may want to create a list of things that your loved one likes and dislikes so that the facility can easily accommodate your loved one as soon as they arrive.
If you have a loved one that you’re going to have to move into an assisted living facility soon, consider using the tips mentioned above to help make this new phase of life easier for everyone to adjust to.