Moving an elderly loved one to an assisted living home can be a hard choice, especially after they’ve been used to living many years in their own home. They may feel like their family and loved ones are neglecting them, or that their own feelings about this change aren’t being considered. That is very common. Even then, things get to a point where an assisted living home is the best solution for them and your family.
What happens when a loved one’s care is becoming untenable? Assisted living homes will help you take care of your loved ones while giving you the freedom to continue living your life, without constantly needing to worry about if they’re okay on their own.
Below, we’ve put together a few tips to make the transition to assisted living a bit easier for your loved one.
1. Involve Your Loved One in the Process
Although it might be challenging to discuss assisted living with your loved one, it’s important to do if the time comes (look for some of the signs as outlined here). Don’t let them feel left out on issues that concern and affect them. Listen to want they would want to have in the new living space and look for options that will make them happy.
2. Choose a Suitable Assisted Living Home
Choosing an assisted living home in Austin, Tx is not something you can achieve in a day. What is needed is that you take your time to research every single detail about a potential home. Is it clean? How is the staff? How is the diet? What security measures does it have? Do the residents look content? What is the cost? Looking into such issues will help you choose the best home for your loved one.
3. Take a Tour of the Home
Before committing to the move, plan on taking the loved one for a tour of the home. That will help prepare them psychologically and can avoid any surprises before committing to a decision.
4. Make the New Living Area Look Like Home
One of the most effective ways of helping the loved one transition into assisted living is to make it look more like home. Take some time to make their new room look more like their bedroom at home to help create a sense of familiarity. If there are specific artworks, styles, photos, or colors they love, you can incorporate them into the room décor.
5. Spend Time with Your Loved One
Taking your loved one to an assisted living community is not the end of the road for you or them. On the contrary, they need to see you more often so that they do not feel neglected. To make them feel better, plan visits and extended visits (several hours) frequently, especially at first. Spending quality time regularly at their new home can help raise your loved one’s spirits.
6. Give Your Loved One Time to Transition
Moving to a retirement home is one of the most drastic changes an older person can deal with… It takes time for anybody to adapt to a new environment. Give your loved one some time to adjust to the new lifestyle, make new friends, and get comfortable with their new home at the residential care home in Austin. It may not be easy at first, but as time goes one they’ll likely start to love their new little community.
7. Encourage Your Loved One to Be Social
Every senior care home offers different social activities for the residents to participate in. To ensure that your loved one does not feel lonely and neglected, encourage them to engage in group activities. Examples of these activities include therapeutic cooking, workouts, playing cards, and doing good deeds.
Bottom Line
Using the above tips, you are assured that your loved one gets the best care as you comfortably run your daily life.