Even at the best of times, moving can be a very stressful situation. You’ve got to upend yourself, leave a place that you’ve become accustomed to and familiar with, and adapt to an entirely new environment – all within a short span of time. So you can imagine the additional stress that this situation might have if you’re older and the move isn’t just any ordinary one, but a move into an assisted living residence. There can be a great deal of resistance and distress associated with such a move due to the emotions that come with it and the change of lifestyle it entails.
You might have a loved one who is finding themselves in or approaching this situation, and as the person closest to them, you might be looking for ways to make the process easier and more comfortable. After all, dealing with emotional situations like this is never easy, and it can be a relief to have all the help you can get. At the end of the day, it’s about making your loved one as happy as possible throughout the transition.
Make Sure to Choose the Right Place
When selecting the right home for your relative or loved one, you might have a checklist of things that you want to be sure it has, either just by yourself or discuss with the person who’s moving there.
While this is a good approach, ultimately, you might decide that the most important factors are whether your loved one likes the feel of the place (maybe by visiting) and how good the quality of care is. McKnight Place assisted living can offer a very high standard of care to its residents, with specialists equipped to care for people with a variety of cognitive health issues.
Talk to Your Loved One About the Process
As mentioned before, talking to your loved one about this can be a very difficult process, both for you and for them – so it helps to have some guidance on how to approach the situation. While it’s natural to be delicate about the situation because of how you think they will react to it, it’s better to be direct and honest, citing the advantages of this decision instead of waiting too long for an unfortunate situation to make it a necessity.
Additionally, due to the movement’s emotional nature, it can be a comfort for them to know you’re there to talk to.
Be There Throughout the Process
Being there to talk to is a good start, but moving your loved one into assisted living could be a long process that isn’t always without turmoil, so it could do them some good to know that you’re always available to them should they need it. Spending quality time with your elderly relative or loved one is something that they’ll cherish and will likely be something that helps you to move through the ordeal as well. Once they’re comfortable in their new home, it’ll additionally do them some good to know that they’ll be seeing you regularly.
