Making an Assisted Living Apartment or Nursing Home Room Feel Like Home
While change is difficult for people of all ages, deviating from the status quo seems to become even more taxing as we get older and more set in our ways. Yet it’s often our elders who are forced to make the most dramatic lifestyle changes.
One example is downsizing to assisted living from a family home or condominium. Not only do our loved ones have to leave the familiar environments they are used to, but they must also accept the fact that advancing age and/or increasing health needs necessitate this move.
How to Make an Assisted Living Apartment Feel Like Home
Moving to an assisted living facility (ALF) is a lot to ask of an aging loved one. Most wish to remain in the comfort of their own homes surrounded by memories and personal belongings. But when their care needs increase, the safety, assistance and social interaction that assisted living communities offer usually prevail over a senior’s desire for familiarity. This transition is challenging for older adults and their family caregivers, but a few simple steps can help a loved one feel more at peace with the idea and accepting of their new home.
Respect Their Perspective
It’s important to understand that your thoughts on this transition are likely very different from those of your aging loved one. You see this move as a positive change that will provide your parent(s) with nutritious meals, on-site care services, social opportunities, transportation and much more. But to your parent(s), this move represents a significant loss. Even if they are leaving an older, deteriorating home for a sparkling new assisted living facility, they are leaving behind a good deal of their past. This move is an acknowledgement of their fleeting independence.
Yes, many seniors do recognize and appreciate the countless benefits that assisted living has to offer, but the move itself is still bittersweet. Just be mindful of your loved one’s complex feelings throughout this whole process.
Handle Downsizing Tactfully
It is one thing to move to a new, comparatively sized home, but it is quite another to have to purge much of one’s belongings or put them in storage. This is often the case when seniors transition from a large family home or condo to a one-bedroom apartment or studio in assisted living. Sifting through a parent’s personal effects can be a long process that requires…
Helpful Tools:
Stay connected with Memoryboard: Designed by caregivers. Memoryboard helps families share reminders, messages, updates, and photos on an easy-to-use screen designed for people with dementia. Peace of mind for families, independence for loved ones.
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Leslie Kernisan, MD, MPH, has opened up support! View two free caregiving webinars that can help you help your older parents (and yourself).
Minding Our Elders: Caregivers Share Their Personal Stories: “…This book is for all of us; let it help you cope! Thank you to the author and everyone she spoke with!” …Dolores
