Moving seniors into an assisted living or memory care community can be challenging.
Your loved one has likely lived in their home for many years. During those years, they collected belongings and made memories there.
To make a smooth transition, your loved one will need your support before, during, and after the move.
It’s essential that your senior loved one understands why moving is a good choice for them and that they know you’ll continue to be there for them every step.
Learn more about how to discuss the move with your loved one, begin the moving process, and where to find the perfect community for your senior loved one to transition to.
Communication is key
Aging brings challenges that make it difficult for seniors to live independently.
For older adults with health issues, and memory diseases, daily tasks can become too much to take on alone, and safety can become a concern.
Initially, your loved one may feel sad and apprehensive about moving to a new home.
To get your loved one excited about the transition, reassure them they’ll move to a safe, comfortable, and fun community.
Keep the approach light. Tell your loved one about the fun things they may enjoy doing at their new home, such as socializing, gardening, crafting, playing games, exercising, fishing, watching movies, and listening to live entertainment.
It can help to frame the conversation like it’s their decision. Look for a senior living with a month to month lease option, so that it doesn’t feel like a permanent transition. This helps them maintain their control and decision making, which ultimately preserves independence.
If possible, schedule a tour so your senior loved one can check out their new home and community. Once they see it, they may feel more comfortable and excited about the transition.
Many seniors are relieved once they transition into an assisted living community.
They’ll often feel happier than they predicted, and can then focus on their mental and physical health.
How to help your senior move
Often, the most challenging part of helping seniors transition to assisted living is getting started.
Moving a lifetime of belongings that are not yours can be a confusing and overwhelming task. Your loved one may also feel like they want to maintain control over something as everything around them changes.
It’ll be helpful to you both if your loved one can help decide what they want to bring to their new home and what they want to sell or donate.
They won’t have room for too much stuff in their new home, so it’s important to plan carefully.
Plan ahead with downsizing and a moving checklist
Before packing and moving anything, downsize possessions and make a checklist.
The moving checklist should consist of everything you want to move to your loved one’s new home and anything else they may need.
At The Kensington Sierra Madre, our team provides you with a step-by-step guide to the entire process, from deposit, assessment, and to move-in.
Another list should include the items your loved one wants to donate, sell, or toss.
Estate sales are a great way to purge many unwanted belongings at once.
Be respectful of your senior loved one’s possessions. There may be items they want to keep that you don’t understand but mean a great deal to them.
Don’t purge anything sentimental to your loved one or that they have said they want to keep.
Get a floor plan
Before you decide what to bring to your loved one’s new home, you will need to know how much living space they will have.
Try to get a look at the community’s customized floor plans beforehand.
At The Kensington, our designated Director of Sales and Marketing, Amber Brooksher, is our move-in expert. She provides floor plans, a step by step guide and move-in checklist, and can assist with every aspect of the move and assessment of floor plans.
Once you have the size of their apartment and floor plan, you can decide where their furniture and belongings will go.
Consider senior moving services
Depending on the number of furniture pieces and boxes of belongings, you may want to research the best senior moving services.
You can often find senior moving specialists to aid in the transition. At The Kensington, we partner with a designated and trusted local company to help take the load off of families and caregivers.
Many moving companies also offer packing services which could be the key to a stress-free move if your loved one is bringing a lot of things.
Enlist family members
If you have decided that you will be moving your loved one’s possessions instead of looking to senior moving companies, you may want to consider asking family members and friends for help.
Now would also be the time to ask family members if they’re interested in keeping any of the items your loved one is donating or throwing away.
Pack one room at a time
Packing one room at a time and keeping like items together will make packing and unpacking easier.
Labeling boxes can keep things organized as well.
Start with the larger items
You’ll need to decide which furniture will fit in your loved one’s new home and consider moving that first.
Getting the large items out of the way can make the rest of their move easier.
Pack a first-night bag
After a day of moving, you’ll likely be tired and not have time to unpack all of your loved one’s possessions.
Packing a bag of items that they’ll need their first night in their new home can be helpful. We recommend families pack a two week bag, which our team will even offer to assist with unpacking!
You may want to include:
- Medications
- Linens
- 8 sets of towels
- 8 sets of linens
- Clothing
- Multiple sets of pajamas
- A few pairs of shoes – casual sandals and tennis shoes
- Undergarments
- Sweater/light jacket
- Toiletries
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- Hairbrush
Age in place at The Kensington Sierra Madre
We understand how emotionally, mentally, and physically draining it can be when your beloved senior moves into an assisted living community for the first time.
We provide transitional aid based on each individual’s level of comfort. We are here for every resident as soon as they move in. From dedicating one-on-one care, to introducing them around the community and to other residents.
We provide the level of support they need from their first day here, to each day moving forward, based on their needs and neighborhood.
At The Kensington Sierra Madre, we stand by Our Promise to love and care for your family member as we do our own.
We hope this promise will make you and your loved one feel more confident. We do everything we can to provide gentle transitions for our residents.
In our assisted living and memory care communities, your loved one can get the care they need, even as their needs change.
Our team is compassionate and committed to enriching the lives of our residents and their families.
Our communities offer:
- Around-the-clock care not offered in any other community
- High staff to resident ratios
- Medication administration
- On-site services
- Physical therapy
- Occupational therapy
- Speech therapy
- Nursing care
- COVID-19 safety protocols
- Life enrichment for purpose driven activities and outings
- Proper nutrition
- Clinical support
- End-of-life support
- Caregiver support
Contact us to learn more about our cozy and beautiful home, located in Sierra Madre, California.