Hello everyone!
This week I welcome guest blogger Andrea Gibbs. In this article, she offers some tips on how to transition a loved one to senior living. I hope you find her tips to be helpful!
Turning retirement from a dream into reality is not an easy feat for seniors. Many transitions and adjustments will take place, including moving away from family and friends, coping with new routines, and learning to manage the daily activities of life. To help ease these transitional moments in your loved one’s life, you must recognize their personal needs to provide them with assistance.
More complex transitions generally involve identity loss and the need to adapt to challenging new situations. Without proper assistance, seniors who face these issues may experience a feeling of being lost, alone, and unsure of how they will handle each day. This can lead to social isolation as they struggle with changes in their life.
Understanding that you can make the transition easier by doing certain things is important. If you know how these items can be used to support an aging loved one – and how they could assist with the changes – then you will have a more proactive approach to easing their needs.
1. Get Your Finances in Order
Seniors must plan for their financial endeavors to be prepared for personal care, medical expenses, medications, and other expenses. It will also allow seniors to make new friends and learn how to be more assertive.
This may include creating individualized asset allocation models with bonds and stocks while considering the worth of life insurance policies. This may also include the creation of a living will and power of attorney documents.
2. Learn to Use Technology
Many seniors live in isolated residential communities that may not provide adequate support for their needs. This can make it difficult to integrate technology into their daily routines. However, that’s an easy problem to fix with the help of a senior care provider. This is because they have experience with computers and home technology and could take the time to help seniors create a new computer system or system that is customized for their needs.
Technology can connect seniors with their family and friends and access various other essential services that may be hard to find in isolated communities. Technology is also commonly used for medications so seniors can have a centralized place to store the medicines and track the dates when they should be refilled.
In addition, technology can help seniors keep track of their daily schedule of activities. Having a calendar or a system that makes it easy to keep track of appointments and know what to do each day can help an aging loved one make a smooth transition.
3. Use Family and Friends Around You as a Resource
This is probably the most important step in transitioning, but senior care providers often overlook it. Your loved one will need someone who can take the time to listen to their problems and concerns while providing suggestions for solutions. They will also want someone to listen to their concerns and issues to discuss arranging a visit with them.
The elderly will be ready to spend time with family and friends at home if they have the proper resources available. This could include financial planning, medical services, social media, technology, and a backup system in emergencies. Family members can assist by scheduling time in their calendars that they can use while visiting their aging loved ones.
4. Begin Making Arrangement For Pets
Losing a pet may bring up feelings of loneliness in your loved one. As a result, we should look at addressing this problem. Pets can often provide the companionship and assistance many seniors seek to ease their anxiety and loneliness.
This is why you must begin planning for the permanent arrangement for both pets and the necessary medical care they require so that your loved ones can continue living out their final years in comfort.
5. Consider Continuing Education
Seniors who feel they are continuing to learn and grow will have a more positive outlook on life. It might be a good idea to enroll them in senior education courses. This can help them ease the transition into retirement by teaching them how to handle various situations they may encounter and the know-how to handle specific scenarios. They will also learn many practical solutions for daily living, such as how to use technology and work with their finances. It will help seniors learn how to meet other people going through similar situations and give them coping strategies for dealing with loneliness.
6. Let them choose the Activities they Wish to Do
The transition can be difficult for seniors because they must learn how to adjust to their new living situation. They might not like the food or the company. They may need assistance with activities they never had in the past. This can be overwhelming for them, especially if family and friends are not providing adequate support.
This is why it is essential for you as a family member or senior care provider to let them choose the activities they wish to do during their transition period. This will help them feel like they are still active in the family.
7. Safety Is Key. Accidents Can Happen
Despite the fact that senior living facilities are considered by many to be safe, there are still risks involved in transitioning into a new home that may not have been looked at as carefully as they should have. Accidents can happen to seniors because of how much physical activity they engage in, especially when performing day-to-day tasks such as gardening and cleaning. Seniors are also more prone to becoming victims of crime.
It is important to take precautions and ensure that the safety measures in place when you move in are still in place. You should also keep an eye out for any changes to prevent a potential situation. You should contact a local security agency immediately if you notice anything suspicious.
8. Prepare for the Changes
You want to prepare your loved one for what may be a very difficult transition. This is called anticipatory grief, just feelings of anxiety and dread resulting from preparing for what might happen. Some ways to prepare your loved one are as follows:
Show them that you care by taking them out to dinner, taking them on outings, or even showing up with a gift that they have been wanting or have placed an order for but has not yet arrived.
The best way to ensure that your loved one is not overwhelmed by the changes in their life is by being flexible and adjusting as needed.
Try telecommuting for your loved ones, so they do not have to move too far from home. This can help ease the transition.
Conclusion
The transition into senior living can be difficult, but by taking the right steps and being proactive, you will be able to ensure that your loved one can stay safe during this time. This could be one of your senior loved one’s most important transitions. You want to ensure that it goes as smoothly as possible, which is why you will want to do everything in your power to help them ease into retirement and live comfortably.
Author bio
Andrea Gibbs is the Content Manager at SpringHive Web Agency, a company that offers web design services, maintenance, and Internet marketing. She specializes in content marketing, social media, and SEO. She also serves as a blog contributor at Serenity Senior Care. She’s an avid personal development enthusiast and an expert in the field of health and fitness. When she’s not writing she can be found running hills or hiking trails, rooting for her favorite team (the Pittsburgh Steelers), or watching a good Netflix series.
Image from pexels.com
There’s a lot to think about when it comes to helping our friends and loved ones transition to senior living. Thank you, Andrea, for sharing some great tips with us! And thank you, treasured reader, for being here!
This week I leave you with a little Jazz music to listen to whilst doing relaxing weekend stuff!
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Here are some links to other articles I’ve enjoyed recently! I hope you will also…
Exploring Life & Business with Jamie Owen of Aspen Appraisal Services – VoyageOhio Magazine
Is the Sun Setting on High Prices? – DW Slater Appraisal Blog
Reconsideration of Value and Appraisers – APPRAISAL TODAY
How to Prospect Your Way to 15 Listings Every Month – The Walkthrough Podcast
What’s Important Now? – The Appraiser’s Advocate Podcast
Is Critical Thinking Really Necessary? – George Dell’s Analog Blog
6 Things to Consider When Comparing Your Home To Recent Neighborhood Sales – Birmingham Appraisal Blog
Buyers & Sellers feeling stuck in the housing market – Sacramento Appraisal Blog
Reconsideration of Value and Appraisers – APPRAISAL TODAY
For my readers in the CLE area… here are some articles related to news in our local area. I hope you enjoy these also…
Vintage Brand History Series: Coppercraft Guild – The Mustard Dandelion Blog
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