Transitioning to Memory Care can be initially difficult for you and your loved ones to navigate. Strong emotions, shifting relationships, and more may play out while interacting with a loved one moving to a Memory Care Community. Read on to learn how to make your loved one’s transition to a Memory Care Community in Fort Myers, FL a smooth and easy journey.
Personalize Their Room Gradually
Moving all of a senior’s personal belongings all at once may cause confusion and panic. Rather than making the major change feel too immediate from the start, you can frame the moving process as a trial period while your loved one is adapting. You can slowly introduce knick-knacks or pictures to make their room more home-like after some time.
Allow for a Period of Adjustment
Moving into a completely new environment is a big change that requires patience and time from everyone involved. You can expect a period of four to six weeks for your loved one to become acclimatized to their new living environment. During this period, you should try your best to understand and validate your loved one’s feelings, instead of neglecting them.
Plan Visits Accordingly
After the move to a Memory Care Community, your presence may trigger negative emotions such as homesickness and confusion in your loved one. As such, you may want to consider stepping away from visits for a while, especially early on after the move. In the meantime, someone else could step in to visit your loved one instead. This person could maintain a more neutral connection with your loved one while also ascertaining if they’re adjusting well to the new environment.
You can also consider planning visits to minimize any distress that your loved one may face. Avoid visiting in the evening, as this timing coincides with sundown syndrome, a state of confusion and anxiety faced by those with Alzheimer’s that occurs starting from the late afternoon and lasting into the night.
Encourage Your Loved One to Socialize
When your loved one has fully acclimatized to living in a Memory Care Community, you can encourage them to explore the activities, events, and amenities that the community offers. By engaging more actively with the community, your loved one can form bonds with other residents and feel a sense of belonging.
Encourage Your Family and Friends to Connect
When a senior moves into a Memory Care Community, it can feel natural for family and friends to reduce communication with them to promote socialization among memory care residents. However, studies have shown that this approach may be ineffective, and even harmful in the long run.
Look For What Can be Improved
When an incident concerning your loved one occurs, understand the root of the issue and look for areas for improvement instead of only focusing on the negative. While such incidents are bound to occur, watch out for any persistent red flags that may pop up. If your loved one has constant difficulties overcoming an issue by themselves, you can consider communicating with team members to find other ways to help them.
Transitioning fully to Memory Care can be a long and challenging process. Contact us today to find out how our dedicated and experienced team members can make this process smoother for you and your loved one.
