Relocating a loved one to a care home can be emotionally fraught – for your loved one and even for yourself. Big changes, like accepting that around-the-clock care and support are for the best, can be a tough thought to swallow. Moving your loved one into a care home means their health and even their quality of life need more assistance and support than they can at home.
Sure, a person doesn’t need to be at death’s door before they go to a care home. In fact, they can feel just fine health-wise. The reason why they’d move in this case is for the social connections.
That doesn’t mean that the relocation isn’t a big deal. To help both your loved one and you cope with the transition, try out these tips:
Assure Yourself They’ll Be Well Looked After
A quality care home offers so much more than just health professionals waiting for an emergency nearby. For peace of mind, ask any questions you may have, such as whether the staff make use of aged care management software to enhance efficiency and communication. The more you know about their capabilities in managing resident care, the more comfortable and assured you will feel entrusting the staff to care for your loved one. A great property, like this care home in Kingston, offers activities that are rich in terms of stimulation. Your loved one will have access to a regular roster of physical activities, workshops, events, day trips, and so much more. Their entire day can be filled from the moment they get up to the moment they go to bed with fun, exciting things to do, all without leaving the property. So long as they take advantage of those great opportunities and start making friends in their care home, they’ll have a great time.
Help Them Redecorate
Though care homes typically come furnished, that doesn’t mean your loved one just has to live in the equivalent of a hotel room their entire life. Bring their favorite things, their sheets, their blankets, their art, and photos – all of these can help make the space feel cozier and more like home. This way, you can help ease the transition for your loved one, all while feeling like you’re doing something positive for them.
Stay in Touch
Staying in touch and regularly visiting are two of the best ways to help cope with the emotional challenges associated with relocating. By making phone or video calls a part of your everyday routine, the both of you can remain in close contact, get closer, and also build it into a habit. It can be hard for those still working and likely with kids of their own to maintain long-distance relationships, but that’s where scheduling comes into play. If you’re used to calling your parents every evening for a short period of time, for example, calling will be far more natural and easy. Staying in touch also means that you can stay updated on all the friends your loved one is making, what they’re doing, and so on.
Don’t Forget One-on-One Time
Finally, don’t make it ever feel like you’ve dumped your loved one in the care home and forget about them. Calling often helps, yes, but you’ll also want to visit often. On top of visiting, plan trips. Go to local restaurants, go out to plays, host parties at yours – there are so many instances and excuses to spend one-on-one time with your loved one. So long as the care home is close by, you may actually end up spending more time with each other than before.
