Helping a senior relative move into a senior living complex or retirement community can be an emotional process to go through. Your loved one might be feeling a range of different emotions and feelings including mourning the loss of their youth or feeling anxious about the loss of their future independence. It is not uncommon for seniors to feel concerned about leaving the home that they have built for themselves or be fearful about getting older and starting this new chapter in their lives. If you are helping a loved one move into a senior living complex, here are some things that you can do to help them prepare.
Consider What’s Important to Them
One of the first things that you should do to help your relative prepare for a smooth transition into a facility like Brentwood Assisted living is to consider what is most important to them. Maybe it’s crucial that they are surrounded by people who share the same religion or values as them, or perhaps they want to make sure that they are going to have the chance to get involved with lots of hobbies and activities while they are there.
Choose the Perfect Location
The location can make all the difference when it comes to the type of experience that your relative can expect to have while living at a senior living complex. Perhaps the most important thing is that their new home is going to be close to family and friends, or maybe they want to make sure that they have good access to public transport and local amenities, especially if they are quite active and like to get out a lot.
Downsizing
Once you and your relative have settled on a senior living community for them that is well-suited to their requirements and preferences, it’s time to start thinking about downsizing. In many cases, seniors find that moving to a retirement community or complex often means that they have a much smaller space to live in, which can be great in terms of maintenance but not always good for storage. It’s a good idea to set aside plenty of time to clear out personal items and decide what is going to be donated, sold, or trashed.
Financial Aspects
Finally, set some time aside to help your relative with sorting out the financial side of things before the move. This could involve selling a property or setting it up to rent it out and provide them with a passive income. You may also want to help them take care of any other paperwork that they need to do such as canceling their utility and cable bills or moving them to the new address if necessary. Remember to cancel anything like newspaper subscriptions that are sent to their current address and redirect their mail.
Moving into a retirement complex or senior living community is a huge step in life. If you are helping a senior relative with this transition, good preparation is key to a smooth move.
