Moving to a new suite in your assisted living community is a refreshing and rewarding experience, but requires managing certain logistics for cultivating a smooth transition.
Helping your parent with this process is key, and breaking down tasks into manageable steps helps make it more approachable:
- Involve your parent in the decision-making process.
- Organize early and be supportive as they downsize their belongings.
- Gather and update important documentation.
- Create a packing list.
- Enlist the help of professional movers.
- Give them space as they adjust to their new community.
The Importance of Supporting Your Parent
Supporting your parent during this move-in process is necessary for cultivating a smooth transition into their new space.
It’s healthy to recognize the multitude of emotions that may surface for both of you. It’s normal to feel a mixture of sadness, anxiety, relief, and maybe some guilt during this transition. Understanding these emotions is the first step to navigating them effectively.
To manage these emotions, cultivate patience and compassion for yourself and your parent. Allow yourself to process these feelings and remind yourself of the positives concerning the move.
Embrace the transition as an opportunity to forge new bonds and seek joy in shared activities during this period.
Navigating the Early Stages
Moving to a new space can feel overwhelming and stressful because of all the logistics. The most ideal way forward involves working together with your parent.
Involve them in the Process
By keeping them involved in the decision-making process, they actively participate in their own future, helping them feel respected, and valued, and maintain their independence.
Have an open discussion about the values and qualities they are looking for in a caring community, Consider what they need in terms of amenities, healthcare services, social opportunities, and location.
Tour potential communities together, ask questions, and ask for feedback after each visit. Allow the selection process to feel collaborative rather than imposed.
Organize Early
It’s never too early to start planning the move once you’ve decided on a community. A timeline can do wonders for managing anxiety and preventing overwhelming scenarios.
Start consolidating belongings thoughtfully. For instance, for a larger room with lots of possessions, like a family room, allow yourself a month to sort.
Invite family members and friends to participate, creating piles to keep, toss, or donate. This task can become a shared memory-making activity that eases the stress of saying goodbye to certain items.
Decluttering may feel time-consuming, but it’s relatively easy. If your parent is uncertain about something or has doubles or a product, consider it an automatic toss or donate. Try only packing necessary things or an automatic yes to reap the full benefits of a concise declutter.
Be mindful and respect their emotional attachment to their current home and possessions.
Gather Documentation
Gathering documentation is equally important.
Confirm that essential documents like medical records and legal papers are current and accounted for. Also, keep in mind any necessary updates to your parent’s address, especially for services like Social Security or pension payments.
Work on creating a financial plan. Budgeting for new expenses, understanding insurance coverage, and tapping into any personal savings measures are important steps toward financial security.
Making the Move Easier
Moving day can be one of the most stressful parts of this entire process, but thorough preparation can significantly ease this tension. Downsizing before the move helps significantly on the big day.
Create a Packing List
Pack into labeled boxes categorized by room or function, which keeps things organized and easy to locate.
This clarity will make unpacking much simpler, as you can locate items quickly upon arrival at the new residence and confirm nothing is accidentally left behind. This minimizes confusion and chaos, encourages a smoother transition, and provides peace of mind amidst the hustle of the moving day.
Enlist Professional Help
Enlisting the help of professional movers will make the moving day much less stressful. Instead of exerting your energy on physical labor, you can concentrate on providing emotional support to your parent.
Professional movers bring experience and efficiency to the process, confirming that fragile items are carefully handled and boxes are systematically managed. This level of service streamlines the move while providing peace of mind, allowing you to attend to non-physical tasks like setting up your parent’s personal space, addressing any concerns they might have, and participating in orientation activities at the assisted living community.
In other words, professional movers empower you to be fully present for your parent, easing any anxiety, and helping them feel supported as they settle into their new environment.
After the moving van has pulled away, the real adjustment begins. While helping them unpack, be patient and encourage them to take their time. Your parent might prefer to arrange their new suite to mirror their previous home, providing a comforting sense of familiarity.
Settling in After the Move
After helping your parent gradually unpack into their new suite, allow them time and space to settle into their new environment, at their own pace. Encourage them to form their own routine as they become familiar with their new community.
While visitors are always welcome as they help maintain strong and meaningful connections, during this adjustment period, it’s worthwhile to keep visits light and not overly frequent. This helps avoid overwhelming your parent and provides the opportunity to independently explore social opportunities and activities that interest them within the community.
Balancing visits requires maintaining a supportive presence while allowing them the space to socialize and establish new routines independently.
Over time, as they build connections with fellow residents and familiarize themselves with the community’s offerings, their new environment will feel like home.
Schedule a Tour
Moving to assisted living requires ongoing support to ease any stressors for your parent. With the right approach, you can foster a smooth transition into their new space.
Connect with our team at Kingston Residence of Santa Fe to schedule a tour of our assisted living community.