Navigating Care Transitions: A Guide for Families and Seniors
According to a survey conducted by OnePoll, 45% of people chose 'moving' as the most stressful event in a person's life. This outranked even life-altering events like divorce or having children.
Care transitions can be as stressful if not approached with the right kind of preparation and attention.
To help seniors enjoy a smooth transition to their new assisted living community, we've put together the following guide. Continue reading to learn all about how to achieve a seamless transition with proper caregiving support.
Common Challenges
Before moving to assisted living, it's important to know the kinds of challenges that could show up during this transition. Understanding these common challenges and preparing for them can help you provide your loved one with tools and support.
Senior challenges when it comes to transitioning to assisted living include:
- Anxiety
- Fear
- Difficulty sleeping
- Anger
- Loneliness
- Feelings of loss
The good news is that, by following our guide, you'll aid the senior in your life in overcoming these challenges. Instead, they'll have the chance to focus on the benefits that the move will bring.
Evaluate Senior Needs
Another vital step to guarantee a smooth transition with elderly care changes is to make sure all of your loved one's needs are being met. Take the time to meet with their doctor and get their recommendations so you can find a senior community that won't be a poor match.
Don't forget to ask about what your loved one desires in a senior community. This can help ensure that your loved one will enjoy their new accommodations and will get the care they deserve.
Focus on Communication
Staying involved in your senior's life is critical for assisted living success. You need to remain in contact before, during, and after the move. Without communication with family members, your loved one won't have the support they need throughout this change in their life.
Don't make decisions without discussing it as a whole family first. This gives you a chance to explain your point of view while allowing your senior to do the same.
Tackling each issue as a united group can make the transition easier for everyone involved. It won't feel like one side of the family is dominating the other. Instead, everyone listens and communicates equally for better results.
Visit Community Beforehand
Exploring a new area for the first time can be overwhelming -- even more so when you're moving into the area. It can be an emotional asset to visit your chosen senior community before the day of the big move.
This will make the community feel more familiar as your loved one moves in. They'll get to introduce themselves to the staff and other seniors well before making the community their new home.
It can eliminate unnecessary stress and anxiety from going into a new situation during that first day.
Plus, it's a great method for narrowing down your potential senior community options. Your loved one will have an instinctive reaction to the community they can use to choose to be their future home.
Downsizing Belongings
When it comes to transition planning for seniors, you'll want to pare down their belongings to make the moving process simpler.
Downsizing can be an emotional chore that can be draining to attempt alone. Your family should aim to help as much as possible. Ways to help include:
- Assist in organizing
- Carting items to be donated or sold
- Dealing with heavy items like furniture
- Storing sentimental items that won't suit the new apartment
- Digitize photographs and other mementos for easier storage
Most senior living apartments will be smaller in overall size than a house. It might take time and effort to downsize enough for a seamless transition. Keep at it until your senior feels secure and happy with the items they're taking with them to their new apartment.
Engage in Activities and Events
Once seniors move into assisted living, make sure to encourage them to join the variety of activities and events that the community hosts. It can be easy for seniors to avoid socialization when they first arrive but this can lead to a downward spiral towards self-isolation.
With the support of their family, they'll be more likely to participate and make connections with other seniors.
Sometimes a single interaction is all it takes for a person to feel at home in a new community. They'll have the chance to create bonds and friendships with their neighbors. This, in turn, will help them engage with the community even more until it feels like a natural part of their life.
Ensure Family Visits
During senior care transitions, many seniors fear that they're being left by the rest of their family. They're certain that they're unwanted and cast aside. Without intervention, this could lead to severe loneliness and depression.
An actionable way to prevent this from happening to your loved one is to make family visits a constant thing. Even a small visit for an hour or two can make a huge difference in the mental well-being of your loved one.
Obligations and responsibilities can sometimes cause visits to fizzle out without you realizing it. Keeping a calendar outlining your visits -- along with other family members' visits -- can be a great visual reminder that the family slacked off on the visits for too long.
Plus, a warm phone call is always better than nothing during those busy times in our lives.
Approaching Care Transitions With Grace
The key to remember when it comes to care transitions is to treat each situation with respect and grace. Our guide can help lead you through the ups and downs, but it's up to you to find the right kind of approach that suits your family best.
The Watermark at Brooklyn Heights takes innovative and personalized care to the next level. Our staff works hard to ensure every resident can thrive and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Want to join us? Contact us today and we can get the process started to have you join our Brooklyn senior community!