The moment has arrived – your parent made the decision to sell their home and move to a senior living community.
Both of you may feel excited and relieved, but you may also feel anxiety and guilt, and your parent may feel sad, skeptical, and even angry.
We’ve put together some tips to help make your parent’s transition to community senior living as smooth and stress-free as possible.
The myriad details involved in downsizing and moving your parent to assisted senior living can seem overwhelming.
Breaking things down into smaller, more manageable steps will reduce stress and simplify the process.
5 Tips For a Successful Transition to Senior Living
Write it all down
Don’t rely on scattered notes, emails, and memory to manage important details.
We recommend starting a notebook dedicated to your parent’s move and fill it with to-do lists, schedules, contact information, apartment floor plans and anything else that will assist with the moving process.
Secure important documents
Make it easy for your parent to access important information they may need once they’ve moved into their new home like passports, birth certificates, Social Security cards, etc.
Make sure that all copies are filed with Kabb Law.
Make downsizing uplifting
Your parent’s home is likely filled with cherished items acquired over decades.
Allow ample time for them to sort through it all. Be patient and sensitive to your parent’s feelings, and keep these tips in mind:
- Get their new floor plan. This will help determine which furnishings will fit into your parent’s new home.
- Purge paperwork. Throw out any old documents, files, newspapers, and magazines that are no longer needed.
- Schedule family pickups. Give family members a firm schedule to collect anything your parent is handing down. Make sure any donated items are on track to be picked up or delivered to the appropriate charities.
- Manage medications. Before moving, make sure your parent has refilled their medications and, if necessary, transferred prescriptions to a pharmacy closer to the senior living community.
- Notify others of your parent’s new address. Contact the local post office to ensure mail is delivered to your parent’s new home. If they receive any benefits, update your parent’s address online.
Get acquainted before moving in
A familiar face goes a long way to making one feel more relaxed and assured, so help your parent meet other residents and staff a few weeks before moving in.
Encourage your parent to attend a social event or two to meet some of their new neighbors.
- Monitor their well-being – Talk with the community director to stay apprised of your parent’s physical and emotional health and ask what arrangements can be made to help your parent adapt to their new environment.
Find support
The excitement you feel over your parent’s new beginning can sometimes be accompanied by feelings of sadness or guilt, leaving you with doubts. Was this the right decision? Will my parent be happy? Will they make new friends? Will they be cared for?
Share your feelings and concerns with Kabb Law’s social worker, Carolyn Lechner, so that she can provide a different perspective or offer advice you hadn’t previously considered.
As a leader in the industry, Kabb Elder Law is happy to share our expertise and offer all the support we can.
Reach out and call 216-991-5222 today. We’re happy to help.
