If you have a loved one that has Alzheimer’s disease, then there is a good possibility that there will come a time when you may have to consider moving them from in-home care to a assisted living facility.
You will need to prepare not only yourself for this transition, but also your loved one as they will essentially be uprooted from their comfort zone. Because this can be very tough for someone with dementia to digest, it is critical to approach their transition in a sensitive way. There are two questions that can be asked in order to help you get a grasp on the task at hand. Let’s see if we can give a little insight as to how to go about the transition by asking these simple questions:
When do you know when it’s time to move a loved one to an assisted living community?
For many, it’s hard to admit or even detect when it might be time to transition your loved one into an assisted living community. However, if you pay attention to your circumstances and think logically about how much time and attention you are able to give your loved one, you may discover that they may need more attention than you are able to give. If you find your quality of life depreciating at a rapid rate directly due to your attempts to physically tend to your loved one, then it may be time to seriously consider the transition of your loved one into an elderly care facility.
How do you prepare to transition your loved one from in home care to assisted living?
Adjustment takes time for everyone, especially for those who are living with dementia as it can take patients out of their comfort zone. A great way to work around this is to schedule a time for personnel from senior care consultants such as those at Always Best Care to visit to your loved one, arrange a time when your loved one and your family can visit a choice of communities, meet other residents and the staff, and help you make an informed decision. This can help your loved one become familiar with the area so that it is not so jarring when the day finally comes.
There are also plenty of other things to consider when preparing for the transition such as:
- Sharing critical information about your loved one to the staff including their behavior, their hobbies, interests, food likes & dislikes, hygiene, and personal quirks
- Supplying the facility with a list of people (family and friends) who would likely come to pay a visit
- Giving a summary of your loved one’s past – sharing important moments in their life, where they grew up, their parents, and information about their favorite things can all contribute to helping the facility better connect with your loved one
Taking these two big questions head on will help you to better prepare yourself, your family, and your loved one for the transition into assisted living.
