If you are planning on moving your elderly parent into an assisted living facility, the adjustment can be quite difficult for them, especially if they are opposed to the idea. However, here are some tips that should help you get them adjusted easily:
- Help Continue Their Daily Routines: If your elderly parent is someone who has a specific routine in the morning or in the late afternoon, such as drinking a cup of coffee or reading a specific magazine, be sure that you help them to keep this up. If necessary, buy them a new coffee machine that they are used to using and order a subscription of their favorite magazine. Be sure to bring the little pleasures they had in their own home into the assisted living facility to help them easily get adjusted into daily living in this new environment.
- Send Packages: Every once in a while, send your parent something in the mail that you know they will love. Whether that be flowers or a book, this can help them to feel like they are not forgotten and you truly did feel that an assisted living facility was better for their own life.
- Make Visits: On top of sending them special packages, consider making regular visits, as well. These visits will become something that your parent looks forward to. During these visits, you should be sure that you are taking them out to places that they are familiar with and want to go back to, such as their favorite restaurant or a trip to see their old home.
- Make Calls: Calling your parent to check up on them will not only allow you to continue to maintain a loving relationship they will appreciate, but it will also help you to determine whether or not that specific living facility was the best for them. If you find that they are unhappy or constantly complaining about the environment, then you may want to look into it. So be sure that when you first move them in, they have their own cell phone set up or home phone that you can call them all. Consider putting together an address book for them, as well with family member's numbers, friend's numbers, or even numbers to some of their favorite food deliveries.
By doing these four things to help your parent get adjusted to a living facility, it can make the transition easier on everyone involved in the family. For more information, contact a nearby living facility, such as Harbor View Home.
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