How to Help Your Loved Ones Adjust To Senior Living

For seniors, leaving behind the place they’ve known as home and built beautiful memories of their life and finally moving into assisted living is a significant change. It may take them time to adjust. To them, the change may mean loss of freedom, abandonment by their family, and uncertainty. 

While some seniors may adjust quickly, most will have difficulty settling in. For this reason, after choosing a suitable home for them, it’s of the utmost importance that you find ways to help them smoothly transition into this next phase of their life. Here are six ways you can assist your loved one to be comfortable in their senior living home.

• Keep In Touch

To help your loved one not feel isolated and abandoned, you must keep visiting them, especially in the first few weeks. It may help to have a routine for the visits. That way, they’ll always have specific days to look forward to with you. Visiting them assures them that they’re still a part of the outside world. On a few occasions, you can bring along any of their close friends or family they love spending time with.

On days you may not get time to visit, you can take advantage of platforms like video calls just to check on them and reassure them of your presence in their lives.

• Do Not Overprotect Them

The advantages of choosing reputable senior living homes are that they strive to uphold independence, emotional well-being, and self-worth by engaging seniors in various activities. While you may be concerned about their well-being in the home, ensure you don’t overprotect or restrict them from some of these activities. 

Let your loved ones explore on their own, and allow them to find ways to adjust to the new living arrangement as long as their privacy and independence aren’t compromised. Even though monitoring them on their initial days is necessary, you should know when it’s time to let go and let them take charge of their new lifestyle.

• Personalize Their Space

At the point where your loved one is moving into the living home, get their input on how they’d like their space to be arranged. Ensure they carry any keepsakes from their home that they can use to decorate their new home. They can incorporate their favorite CDs, books, photos, wall paintings, or any of their favorite items. 

Let your loved ones choose their decor. By allowing them to personalize their space, they won’t feel so far away from home as they have a few reminders of their cherished moments.

• Be Empathetic

Every time you visit or call your aging parent, there’s a very high likelihood that they’ll complain about their stay there. This is a normal feeling before they adjust to the new environment. While you may be tempted to throw in comments like, ‘it can’t be that bad,’ ‘you’ll get used to it, or ‘stop being negative.’ Just listen with an empathetic ear. It’s a typical phase that they’ll outgrow once they’re settled.

Take time to listen to your loved oners’ concerns and empathize with them. You can also suggest a few activities in the home that they can engage in to make new friends and improve their stay.

• Build Rapport With Staff Members

The staff at senior living homes is trained to take care of your loved ones’ needs. However, there may be a few pointers you can give them on what would help your beloveds stay a little more comfortable other than what was captured in the initial data in their system. It helps to connect with the staff members so that they keep you posted on how well your relative is coping.

• Create A Life For Them Within And Outside The Facility

Senior living homes have various activities you can encourage your loved one to engage in. These activities engage their mind and help them make new friends at the facility. Other times, they can even discover new hobbies they didn’t know they could participate in. 

Once in a while, organize to have your loved ones taken for trips or drives outside the living facility. They can visit old friends or even participate in family functions outside the living home. A break from living home routine enables them to reconnect with the outside world and assures them that they have not yet lost their freedom. It’ll make them relax and not resent life at the living home.

Summing Up

Transitioning to a living home community may be an uphill task for you and your loved one. You need to realize that it might take time for your loved ones to accept their new surroundings. But with the tips above and your support and care, it won’t be long before they come around.