Moving Tips for Seniors
Moving out of one’s home can be a stressful experience for anyone. For seniors, this can be even more difficult to handle. Not only is it a lot of work that many seniors are incapable of doing without help, but it can mean the end of an era if they are moving from a home they have been in for many years (or raised their children in) and into a senior living community. Seniors often associate moving out of their home with losing their life and independence. Although this is not actually the case, it is important to support your loved one through this emotional time by helping them with the moving process.
How to Have a Successful Senior Move
Ensure that the senior is involved in the planning and decision-making process. This will make them feel more in control of the situation and they will be more comfortable with their new home.
Allow the senior to ask questions and discuss concerns. Be emotionally available for them and learn as much information as you can so they always have someone to talk with.
Respect the individual’s preferences and let him or her maintain control. It is okay to step back and let your lovedone make decisions if you are supporting them. You do not want them to feel like they are being forced to move, and giving them control is the best way to prevent that.
Make sure the senior’s daily routine is maintained as much as possible. Another way for the senior to get used to living in a new environment is to keep their routine similar. Once they see that they can do the same things in their new home that they did in their old home, they will feel better about the situation.
Keep the senior’s belongings safe. Something important could become damaged during the moving process, so take extra care with fragile items and keep tracking of the most important things.
Have the senior be part of the process of setting up the new room. If they are buying new furniture or decor, they will want it to be how they want. Give them the creative control while sticking to their budget.
Try to make the new home look like the old one (as much as possible). This will make them feel the most at-home as they can be. Any furniture and decorative items they can bring into their new home should come in if that is what they want.
Moving into Tomball Retirement Center
Our retirement community in Tomball, Texas, offers different senior living options for any senior moving out of their home. With independent and assisted living