Seventy percent of older adults will need some type of care as they age. As longer life expectancy intersects with one of the largest generations, more families than ever are considering the short-term and long-term care needs of aging loved ones. In-home aids and outpatient rehabilitation services support some seniors to age in place and maintain independence. But what if your loved one needs around-the-clock skilled care?
Many seniors and their families see skilled care as a last resort. Transitioning from the home they’ve known to a facility can be distressing and difficult. Families and facilities seniors move to can ease the transition and help seniors thrive in their new environment in six key ways.
Navigating the emotions surrounding the transition to skilled care
Aging adults often experience more positive emotions than their younger counterparts, but the effects of chronic illnesses and cognitive decline can reduce emotional well-being in the last years of life. If illness, mobility issues, or cognitive decline lead to lower social interactions, the feelings of isolation and lack of community can contribute to emotional decline as well.
Even when the move to skilled care will improve quality of life, it can be difficult for seniors to accept the transition as a positive. Feelings of loss, anxiety, and grief are hard for seniors, but also normal with a major life transition. Providing opportunities for empathetic conversations, listening to their concerns, and encouraging them to share special memories can support the emotional needs of seniors as they process the transition.
While seniors may dread a move to skilled care as an end to independence and a loss of their home, shifting perspectives to how a skilled care setting improves independence (through reducing fall risks with proactive rehabilitation services), removes the chores and tasks seniors didn’t enjoy (like laundry and cleaning), and provides vibrant community (including excursions, special events, and engaging activities).
Preparing for the move to senior care
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that the U.S. has 1.6 million licensed beds (2020) with 1.3 million seniors occupying them. This leaves a little over 18 percent of licensed skilled care beds available. The available beds aren’t evenly distributed and more densely populated areas will have fewer beds available at any given time.
Preparing early for a move to skilled care provides the best opportunity for a smooth adjustment. Taking steps to plan for the move before it’s needed also offers the best opportunity to secure a spot in a preferred facility. But there are many reasons why this type of planning may not be accessible to everyone and some families choose to make a move to a non-preferred facility in the short-term while staying on the waitlist for their preferred facility.
Whenever possible, discussing the future need for skilled care and including seniors in the process regardless of the timeline will aid in their adjustment to the move. Invite seniors to tour facilities with you (or as a first step, explore the social media and websites of facilities you’d like to visit). Learn more about what you can expect when a loved one moves in at the Restoracy, too. Gather their pressing questions and concerns and engage them in the planning process for downsizing their belongings while preserving their most beloved items and precious memories.
If the need for skilled care doesn’t allow for a longer preparation timeline, acknowledging the difficulty of a sudden transition and supporting the emotional needs of seniors helps ease the move. Prepare to do the most essential steps first, then follow up with the rest after move-in. First, secure the facility and ensure that the most beloved items travel with your loved one to their new home. Ensuring that their favorite pillow and other bedding make the move first will help make the new space feel more cozy and homelike. If they have a favorite chair, supplies for a hobby they love, or family photos they especially treasure, these are excellent and relatively easy items to include in the initial move.
Visiting often gives you the opportunity to monitor their adjustment, get to know the staff caring for them, and help them identify anything else they need in the short term. But there’s no need to visit around the clock. Visiting too much can delay both your loved one’s adjustment to their new environment and learning to trust the team taking care of them.
Once they’re settled, create a plan to downsize their belongings appropriately and manage the logistics of what will happen to their previous home. A command list with all of the tasks needed to complete the move (like turning off utilities, rehoming pets, cleaning out the fridge, etc.) will help you ensure all essential and nice-to-do tasks are covered. Organize the list by urgency, designate completion dates, and assign to any friends and family members helping with the tasks.
Whether you’re planning ahead or have an immediate need for skilled senior care, the Restoracy has resources to support you.
Making their new home feel like home
Seniors moving to skilled care experience so much change. New layouts, people, smells, routines, furniture, even lighting, bring out the contrast between the home they’ve lived in and their new surroundings. Personalizing their new space supports a successful transition by bringing in the treasured belongings and creature comforts they love and keeping them tied to the memories, people, and joys they cherish.
When possible, arrange your loved ones room to mirror that of their previous one. This also brings a sense of familiarity and comfort. Include items like lamps, flowers, and decorations to warm up the space. Don’t forget that favorite pair of slippers or cozy robe!
Staying in touch with seniors in care facilities
Often aging adults who move to senior care facilities worry they’ll be forgotten and isolated from their friends and family. Family’s busy lives and physical location can make visiting more difficult, but not impossible. Creating a visiting plan together with your loved one so they know when to expect you. This will also help you stay on track with your goals since they’ll be looking forward to your visits. Don’t forget the power of a friendly and familiar voice. Checking in by phone, even for just a few minutes, makes a difference.
The facility your loved one moves to should offer flexible and ample visitors’ hours and a warm welcome to friends and family. Visiting should be a joyful experience for everyone, and it’s an opportunity to meet the people caring for your loved one. Visiting in person also provides the opportunity to observe the facility, other residents, and staff at various times to gain assurance about the standard of care.
Helping seniors engage with their new community
Going hand in hand with visiting and supporting the emotional needs of seniors transitioning to skilled care, helping seniors engage with their new community can not only make the change to a new environment easier, it also supports their mental health and overall sense of wellbeing. People are social creatures. They suffer in isolation and loneliness increases for older adults as health or cognition declines.
A well-managed facility will have staff supporting a robust offering of events and activities for seniors and their visitors. A balance of structured and unstructured opportunities to socialize with other residents and facility staff supports the relationships and community building that make a difference in how seniors feel about their new home.
One element that can hold seniors back from engagement is the physical space. Facilities with long hallways sometimes lead to seniors becoming self-isolated. Fearing they won’t be able to walk or wheel themselves the distance from their room to the common area, or that they’ll become lost, they may choose to skip community events and activities. Choose a facility where the environment is designed to promote community engagement and easy access to common areas.
Providing ongoing support and monitoring for loved ones
Your ongoing visits and calls go beyond maintaining a strong connection with your loved one. After their move, your contact means you can help them resolve any issues or concerns and keep abreast of health developments. Some seniors feel more comfortable letting their family know about a concern (whether major like bedsores and abuse by staff or more minor like harsh lighting), and visiting family members can observe their loved one’s behavior directly.
Families have had a lifetime of knowing and connecting with senior loved ones. This means they have a wealth of information that’s helpful to care staff in a facility. From food preferences to meaningful holidays and special memories, there’s a lot families can share to help staff get to know their loved one on a deeper level. Family members who visit seniors in care facilities more easily form connections with the staff themselves, too. This gives everyone a sense of being on the same team and ensures that family concerns are heard and addressed.
Restoring familiarity at the Restoracy
Our team knows senior care facilities. That’s why we re-imagined senior care. We skipped the sprawling facilities with hundreds of residents and created small, homelike settings accommodating a maximum of 12 residents per home (and one of the best staff to resident ratios in the state). With spacious, open plan living, kitchen, and dining areas, it’s no surprise our residents love their new home. We saw the unappetizing and sometimes cold food served in other facilities and found an opportunity to infuse joy and community into senior care through delicious, comforting, and nourishing meals residents love to talk about.
We will never replace your loved one’s beloved home.
We will always be a warm new one for the next chapter of their lives. Come see for yourself. Schedule a tour today.