Helping to Reduce Anxiety for Parents Transitioning to Assisted Living

Moving your senior parent to an assisted living facility is tough on the whole family. The changes to everything that is normal and comforting can cause a lot of stress and anxiety for seniors. Working together with facility and family members to create a seamless transition to assisted living can help your senior parent adapt more quickly.

The simple act of packing up your parent’s belongings for the move to assisted living can trigger sadness, depression, and anxiety. It’s essential to focus on providing support from the time that the initial decision is made until the moving day. There will be many ups and downs, so it’s essential that you stay patient and on the plan.

The process of transitioning your senior parent to assisted living can put the whole family under strain. Maintaining a positive attitude and working with a top-quality facility like Longhouse Communities can help you all to adjust to the move. Let’s look at a few key ways to help reduce anxiety for your parents transitioning to assisted living.

Have Patience

There may be a lot of resistance from your senior parent during the process of moving them to an assisted living facility. More than 80% of seniors claim that they would want to age in their own homes as long as possible if given a choice. If the time has come when independent living is no longer safe, making a move to assisted living could be necessary. 

As an adult child, it is imperative that you make the decision about assisted living with empathy and patience. Your parents will have to give up everything that makes them comfortable during their transition, and this will put them under stress. Take it slow with the packing process and be patient enough to give your parents the time they need to adjust.

Comfort Items

In many cases, if you have the items around you that are important and bring you joy, it doesn’t matter as much where you are. Keeping comfort items with your senior parent as they transition to assisted living is not the only kind; it can help them adjust more quickly. 

Your parents may not be able to take everything with them that they would like, but allowing them to take important items can help the process progress more smoothly. It may be a favorite photo, a comfortable pillow, or a chair; try to make arrangements that these comfort items will accompany your parents to their new home.

Get Involved

It can make it easier for your parents when moving to an assisted living if you help them get involved in the community. Taking the initiative to join activities with your parents, take a tour, and meet their neighbors could help them feel less overwhelmed. Most assisted living communities to have a wide range of activities, clubs, and outings for their residents. If your parents are reluctant to get involved, go along with them to help them adjust.

Parents that are new to an assisted living environment may struggle with feelings of loneliness and abandonment. It’s crucial that you set up a regular visiting schedule and don’t neglect to spend time with them. Your visits will become something that you both look forward to.

If you are preparing to move your senior parent to an assisted living facility, you need to be prepared for a challenging journey. Staying patient, listening with empathy, getting involved, and staying in touch are effective ways to help reduce your parent’s anxiety as they adjust essential to their new life.

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