Anne Pitts, County Extension Agent, Family and Consumer Science
This week is National Assisted Living Week and because of that here are a few tips to help you and your loved ones make the transition to an assisted living facility.
Change can be hard, especially when it is completely new and scary. When making the decision to move to assisted living remember to be patient, kind and understanding. Your loved one might not want to make that transition yet, and you need to listen to the reasons why. It is a scary transition, so by reading all the materials you can and visiting the facilities can help make that decision easier for you and your loved one.
Once you have decided, set a moving date and start deciding what your loved one will bring and what to store at an offsite place. Make sure to pack early before the moving day; that will help relieve some stress and emotion when moving day comes. Move the furniture when there to make it feel more like home and ask friends and family to help move in your loved one.
It will take time, so be patient and adjust to the changes. It is all new, so your loved one will need to be visited and checked up on. Also, encourage them to get out and make friends, once they have made some new friends the transition process will be smoother. Remember patience and understanding go along way and will be needed for the adjustment.
A few last tips:
– Review all paperwork before signing and moving in and ask questions if you do not understand.
– Attend activities and programs early on to make new friends.
– Obtain a list of suggested things to bring and pack lightly, you do not need everything.
– Familiarize yourself with the policies.
– Stay positive.
