A lot of seniors and their families have a hard time downsizing from their place of residence to assisted living. This transition always comes with limited living capacity and carries with it a myriad of other changes. This process can be a lot of stress to most, and it gets even more difficult when a senior is forced to make this change due to age or health.
For most seniors, this transition is a huge challenge and making it as quick and easy as possible is key to making them feel comfortable and secure. Moreover, it will help them not to doubt their choice. If seniors feel like this is a step down for them, they could experience various mental health issues such as depression.
The easiest way to help them is to organize the entire process, from traveling to settling into their new place of living. We spoke to Downsizing San Diego to find out how you can help make this process smooth.
Create A Plan
Downsizing requires a lot of planning, time and effort to put in. Make sure to take into consideration the needs of your elderly loved ones. So if they are pet people, make sure their assisted living facility is pet-friendly, so their furry friends can come along.
The easiest way to plan the downsizing is to pull out your notepad and put everything down on paper. You should plan out every step of the move that needs to happen as well as who is going to assist on each day if it takes longer. Make sure you write everyone’s schedule down so you can be as efficient as possible.
Start With The Small Things
Sometimes, moving a framed painting or family heirloom can trigger sadness in the elderly. Therefore, when planning the move start with the small things like the kitchen or the bathroom then make your way to the more sentimental items you’ll decide whether to store or let your senior loved one take it with them.
Put The Emphasis On The Positives
Make sure your senior loved one is focused on the positives of this change. When it comes to such a huge step in their life, emotions such as anxiety, depression or distress are to be expected. However, you can help you senior loved one gain a different perspective and see all the positives of this change.
Moving to an assisted living facility means no more chores, no maintenance, a lot of peers to socialize with, a lot of activities to enjoy and more. If they are caught up in the anxiety, changing the outlook can help out a lot.
Store Treasured And Sentimental Possessions
Downsizing to assisted living can be an exhausting task. Everything from listing the home for sale to packing up can be an intimidating challenge. In case your senior loved one has a lot of prized possessions that carry sentimental value, you can rent out a storage room to keep all of them safe from decay.