Helping Mom or Dad Settle into a Retirement Community
Posted on May 15, 2018 in Senior Lifestyle Options
Helping your parents adjust to life in a retirement community can be a bit tricky – even if they are excited about the change in lifestyles for them. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to ease the adjustment while reminding your parents they are vitally important people in your life. These are a few of the things you can do to make the transition so much easier for mom or dad.
Check in and Visit Regularly
This is perhaps one of the most important things you can do to help mom or dad settle into their new home in a retirement community. One idea, at least initially, is to make sure mom or dad has a calendar where you circle the date when you will visit next on the calendar, so they know when you are coming back and have something to look forward to.
Check the Calendar of Activities and Select Events or Programs to Attend with Mom or Dad
It’s important to attend family-friendly events with your parents. Doing so makes their new home feel more like home and helps them get to know the staff and other residents. You’re sure to find that there are many friendly residents who are all too happy to welcome your parents. Your parents, though, being the ones who are new, may need a little nudge from you to actually get out there and meet them.
Familiarize Yourself with the Campus
The grounds and gardens at Ohio Living Breckenridge Village are beautiful. We’re proud of them. We invite you to get to know them too. Make yourself at home and get to know the grounds well enough to help your parents discover new areas they haven’t seen before. Each new corner represents something new to love about Ohio Living Breckenridge Village.
Consider Having One of Your Children Spend the First Night with Them
It helps to have someone familiar with you when you move into a new home. Having a grandchild with them will help them feel very much loved and welcome in their new space. It also gives them enough distractions associated with caring for your child to keep them distracted from any sense of loneliness they may otherwise experience.
Volunteer at the Retirement Community
Whether it’s helping out with fundraisers, hosting private parties, or some other small tasks, volunteering at Ohio Living Breckenridge Village is a great excuse for you to get out and visit with your parents without appearing to be checking up on them. It will help you feel involved in what is going on in their new home while also allowing you to do something helpful for the larger community.
Involve Yourself in Mom and Dad’s New Home
Help them decorate, arrange, rearrange, unpack, paint, and countless other things involved in transforming a home into their home.
At Ohio Living Breckenridge Village, we understand how important family relationships are. Ohio Living Breckenridge Village makes it as easy as possible for you to help your parents feel welcomed and settled in their new homes. These are a few small steps we recommend to simplify the process.