Moving into a new home can be difficult and stressful for anyone. It tends to be particularly trying for the elderly. After all, they’ve often spent decades in their homes, raising their children and building a lifetime of memories. Thinking about moving after all that time can certainly be frightening. Packing alone may be enough to strike fear and tension into their hearts. The prospect of building an entirely new life, developing new schedules, and suddenly spending time around people they barely know is undoubtedly intimidating.

Making the Transition to Assisted Living Easier for Your Loved One

Certain steps can help make the transition to an assisted living community simpler and less stressful for an aging loved one. First of all, it’s important to do extensive research and find the right community to meet your loved one’s needs and expectations. At Ocean Hills, we’re dedicated to exceeding the expectations of senior residents and their families. We offer a range of floor plans, amenities, and activities to ensure the happiness of your loved one. We’re also experts in catering to the diverse needs of seniors, so we can provide the care your loved one requires to stay healthy and enjoy a higher quality of life. 

With that being said, we understand how difficult moving a loved one into a new home can be. Even with an experienced care team and a vast array of comforts awaiting a loved one, the experience can still be a bit frightening and stressful for everyone involved. Consider using the following measures to help reassure your aging loved one and ease him or her into assisted living in Oceanside, CA.

Communication is Crucial

Communication is important in any scenario, but it’s particularly crucial in a family dynamic. That’s especially true when it comes to aging loved ones. Be sure to keep the lines of communication open with your elderly loved one throughout the moving process. Talk openly and honestly about the move, why it’s necessary, how much it will cost, and other factors. That, alone, can help make your loved one more comfortable with the prospect of moving into assisted living. 

Keep Your Loved One Involved

As adults attempting to help an aging parent, it’s easy to step in and try to do all the packing and other work on our own, especially in cases where our loved ones are experiencing cognitive decline, memory loss, lack of coordination, and other symptoms of aging and dementia. Still, pushing your loved one out of the process entirely can do more harm than good.

Those are his or her belongings you’re sorting through and possibly getting rid of. They’re personal items and memorabilia collected over the course of a lifetime. Each piece most likely has a story behind it. Though a certain amount of downsizing may be required, be sure to keep your loved one involved in sorting and packing. Let him or her choose a few cherished items to keep. Allow your loved one to choose family members and friends to give some belongings to. Letting your loved one be part of that effort will undoubtedly make things easier both physically and emotionally.

Take Baby Steps

Preparing to move a loved one into assisted or memory care living isn’t something that can be done quickly. It can’t be accomplished overnight or even in a few days. To make things less difficult for your loved one, go slowly. Start with an area of the home that doesn’t hold a great deal of sentimental value to your loved one, like a hallway closet or a bathroom.

From there, move gradually from one room to the next. Perhaps, you could do one area per week, so your loved one doesn’t become overwhelmed. Be sure to pack away non-essential items first, like seasonal bedding and clothing your loved one doesn’t need at the time. Work up to kitchen gadgets, decorative items, and pictures. Consider leaving some important sentimental pieces on display for as long as possible, so it doesn’t seem as though everything is suddenly being ripped away from your loved one. 

Leading Up to a Successful Transition

Those steps can help reduce stress on your loved one and ensure a more successful move to assisted living. Begin the process well in advance of the move. Planning ahead and developing a schedule for packing and other matters will go a long way toward making things easier for you and your loved one as well. On top of all that, being sure your loved one is moving into a community that’s well-equipped to handle his or her unique needs will further foster a healthy, happy life after the fact.