5 Ways To Make The Senior Living Transition Smoother

Residents enjoy the privacy of personal living spaces, engaging activities, and the assistance of a trained caregiver available at all times. We provide freedom within a safe community where neighbors become friends. Residents enjoy the privacy of personal living spaces, engaging activities, and the assistance of a trained caregiver available at all times. We provide freedom within a safe community where neighbors become friends.

Moving to a senior living facility is mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausting for nearly everyone involved. Simply bringing your loved ones on board with the decision in many cases involves several hard conversations and painful admissions of reality. In the best circumstances, it’s still a hassle to move a person from their life-long residence to a much more manageable space with services that will enhance their well-being for years to come.

To make this process as simple and smooth as possible, we recommend the following tips, depending on your unique family situation.

Downsize Ahead of Time

The more you can pack, say goodbye to bulky furniture, and handle estate sales ahead of time, the better. Although our independent living and assisted living neighborhoods are made of spacious rooms, the units are by no means the same as a house with endless closets. Identify the must-have chairs and pieces of furniture early on, and try your best to help your loved ones commit to their choices.

Moving quickly on downsizing is a sure way to help the transition seem more natural and helps provide the most time to get used to a smaller living space.

Hire Movers

Many of the residents who move into Care Cardinal have done so with the help of movers to handle the heavy lifting for their families. Whether you’re moving across state lines to be closer to family or simply relocating to a different part of West Michigan, the moving process can be a lot to put on your loved one’s shoulders. Moving companies are typically affordable, especially considering the floor-level access we provide here in our neighborhoods. 

Movers can help you understand the space you’re leaving and moving into, and recommend arrangements or capacity limits for keeping the furniture your loved ones need while maintaining a walkable space in their new residence.  Care Cardinal has an excellent list of movers we have worked with in the past.  Contact our front office to learn more.

Make Their New Space Feel Like Home

Home means something different to everyone, but for your loved ones, it might mean a space they’ve come to know like the back of their hand. As much as you can, help their new living space feel like their home. We know you won’t be able to have everything from their old house in their new setup, but things like artwork, end tables, and keepsakes from children or grandchildren go a long way to helping them feel comfortable on a daily basis.

Schedule Regular Visits

Loneliness is a sadly prominent feeling among seniors who leave their home, their friends, and sometimes their families due to their diminished health or physical capabilities. However, the simple hope of having plans with loved ones is a great boon to the mental and emotional health of our residents, and the days you actually spend with them serve for weeks of excited storytelling.

And when you can’t visit, schedule regular phone calls if you’re able. Take time to hear about what they’re up to and encourage them to participate in the things they may be nervous to join due to not being familiar with other residents. Keep tabs on our activities like game nights, Bible studies, or nature hikes, and remind them when you’re chatting about their new life.

Get to Know Our Caregivers

At Care Cardinal, we were founded by family, and feeling like family in all our neighborhoods remains our priority for both our residents and our caregivers. No matter what neighborhood your loved one may be a part of, there are compassionate and talented team members responsible for getting them the care they deserve. We love it when families form friendships with our team, as it can help create a trusting bond with residents who then have another connection to family that’s around more often than not.

Senior Living Facility in West Michigan

At Care Cardinal, we’re here to help everyone get the medical and physical help they need, whether in independent living or memory care. Schedule a visit to one of our beautiful communities by contacting us online today or calling us at (616) 699-2014.