Senior living communities offer many benefits – we see them every day. But it can be challenging for families to make the decision to move mom or dad out of the family home and into assisted living.
Moving can be exhausting – mentally and physically – no matter your age or the reasoning behind it. But for many older adults, making the move to assisted living can be especially challenging.
Many older adults are attached to their homes and they also fear losing independence.
We get it! Leaving behind a home full of memories and going somewhere new isn’t easy.
But there are ways to ease the transition – and even make it less stressful and anxiety inducing.
Here are a few tips to improve the move to assisted living:
- Make a plan. Sometimes, the move to assisted living can feel rushed or abrupt. And that makes it more stressful. Taking the time to make a plan can help ease the way because it outlines all the decisions to be made and who will make them. If you have time, outlining a plan that takes several weeks is ideal.
- Visit the community. The fear of the unknown is often one of the biggest hurdles to moving to a senior community. Taking time to visit the community, take a tour and see all the wonderful amenities is a great idea. Generally, moving to assisted living results in a better quality of life for older adults as they can socialize more and lose the stress of keeping up with a larger property.
- Plan to take memorable objects. Setting up a home in a new place can bring all kinds of feelings, but having familiar trinkets, furniture and other memories can help. While downsizing, take lots of pictures – inside and out. And make sure to print photo books of all the images.
- Plan for visits and outings. You know how you start to plan a vacation while you are on vacation? It gives you something to look forward to. While you are planning a move, be sure to pencil in dates for visits and outings as well, so your older adult knows what to expect.
Moving to assisted living can be stressful but it can also be the start of an amazing adventure. At Abbington Assisted Living, we would love to help you along the way.
Abbington Assisted Living
At Abbington, our mission is to increase the independence and quality of life of each resident by providing care with respect, compassion and dignity in a safe, comfortable environment. Heart health is one issue of many for a long life. If you want to learn more about us or schedule a tour, contact us today.