Whether an elderly close friend or an older member of your family has made the decision to move to an assisted living facility, or the decision has been made for them as part of a loving care plan to ensure they stay as healthy and happy for as long as possible, you need to be strong, helpful, and show them you are there for them.

Here are the top three points you should consider when a loved one is moving—or has indeed moved—to a senior living community.

1. Make Sure They Pack the Essentials

One common packing tip that is much appreciated by thousands of residents of senior living communities is to help your loved one put together a “first morning” box, containing everything they both want and need when waking up in their new home.

Aside from this, you should also ensure they take the following with them:

• Sentimental items such as family photographs, jewelry, and other keepsakes
• Household items such as toiletries, slippers, glasses, blankets, and dressing gowns
• Legal items such as insurance documents and emergency contact information 

It would also be pertinent to point out that prestigious and prominent assisted living San Jose and the like will be more than willing to assist with the movement of larger items and indeed answer any questions you or your loved one have about the moving process. 

2. Be Patient!

The transition for anyone when moving home—either to a house just further across the same neighborhood, to another state entirely, to a brand-new country, or indeed, to an assisted living community—is always going to take time to sink in.

It is so important to be patient with your loved one and to always ensure a consistent and supportive open line of communication is present—even months after your loved one has settled in. Be patient with your loved one and actively help them to feel comfortable in their new environment. One good example of this is to accompany them to dinner for the first few evenings. 

3. Stay Closely in Contact with Your Loved One

Once you have assisted your loved one in packing, planning, and physically moving to their new home in a senior living community, it is then the job of both yourself and the rest of their support network to be a constant presence, without smothering them. 

Naturally, it will take anyone a few weeks or even months to feel entirely comfortable and fully integrated into a new neighborhood and community, and fortunately, there are a number of steps that you and the rest of your family can take to aid this emotional transition. 

For example, arrange fortnightly video calls with members of the family and friends of your loved one who do not live close enough to visit regularly, and work together with your loved one to personalize their new apartment to suit their individual needs and desires. 

Essentially, helping to make your loved one’s new apartment into a “home from home” is the best way of ensuring their happiness.