Does this sound like you: You realize it’s time for your older parent or another older adult in your care to move into assisted living. You do your research and find an assisted living facility that you think is a great match. You complete the move-in process, only to find that your loved one is having trouble adjusting to their assisted living facility.
What do you do?
One thing to keep in mind is that these types of adjustment issues are commonplace. You’re definitely not alone. It may take a little longer than you had hoped for your loved one to feel comfortable there. Here are a few more tips to make their adjustment to senior living a little easier.
- Listen. It seems so simple, yet listening is sometimes hard to do when dealing with our loved ones. Interrupting them, falsely reassuring them, or other old patterns tend to creep in. When your loved one has initially moved into assisted living and they begin to complain, take the time to just listen to them. Don’t jump to reassure them everything will be OK (although eventually it may be) or to jump on the “complaint train”—just acknowledge what they are saying and be a sympathetic ear.
- Ask staff for feedback. Check in with staff at the assisted living place to find out how your senior loved one is adjusting. They may offer some insight you hadn’t yet considered. Or, they may make you aware of something else at the facility that your senior loved one may enjoy, such as a particular activity.
- Check in with them more often in the beginning. While you want them to get adjusted on their own to the assisted living facility, there is a level of comfort in having you check in with them more frequently at the beginning of their stay. Whether this means more in-person visits, more phone calls, or video chats, use this transition time to let them know you are there to support them.
- Make their room cozy. If their new room is too generic, it may not feel like home. Add photos and other personal touches. This can serve as a comfort as they get used to their new surroundings outside of their personal space. Don’t forget good music!
- Be patient. Remind your senior loved one to be patient. It can take three to six months to feel truly comfortable in a new assisted living facility. That may seem like a long time, but it’s also an investment in a potentially great place for your loved one. Of course, if your loved one’s complaints indicate they aren’t getting the type of care you think they should get, it may be time to change where they are living.
Call Secure Aging to Find Out How We Can Help Seniors With Financial Management
At Secure Aging in Bradenton, we transform the weight of the world into a sigh of relief for our senior clients and their concerned family members. The mission of Secure Aging is to protect and preserve our client’s independence and dignity through careful and thoughtful financial and care management. As our clients age, it is their desire to remain independent and age with dignity. Our services protect our clients from talented con artists looking to exploit and deplete the financial resources of our vulnerable seniors. Secure Aging helps families in Manatee County and Sarasota County and in and around the communities of Anna Maria, Bradenton, Bradenton Beach, Ellenton, Holmes Beach, Lakewood Ranch, Longboat Key, Myakka City, Palmetto, Parrish, and Sarasota. Call us at 941-761-9338, or visit us online at www.secureaging.com.
