Settling Into Your New Senior Living Home
Welcome to your new senior living home! Whether you are the one who made the move, or you have helped a loved one find the perfect retirement address, we at Avalon Park would like to offer some suggestions on how to settle in and feel at home from the very first day.
Your new senior living home: new convenience, new comfort, new freedom
Consider your first 30 days the time to “get your feet wet” in the exceptional lifestyle you have chosen. Be sure to get out of your residence frequently to take a stroll around the common areas and see what is happening. Introduce yourself to a few fellow residents. Review the activities calendar and drop by a few classes or events to see if they fit your interests. Get to know the staff and ask any questions you may have.
You’ve made it: you’ve given yourself the gift of worry-free, maintenance-free living. At Avalon Park, you’ll find everything you need to live well and live better, with an array of services and amenities to make things easy, comfortable and interesting, as well as a beautiful senior living home to call your own.
Of course, you can’t take in everything right away; pace yourself and enjoy the easygoing lifestyle. The days of to-do lists and pesky chores are over. Now comes everything a dream retirement should have: relaxation, fulfillment, lots of laughter, and precious peace of mind.
How to feel right at home right away
• Host a meal. Sharing something wonderful can really make it feel like it’s your own. Invite your family over to join you for a meal. Let them see what you will be enjoying daily: delicious, nutritious menu selections meticulously prepared by our chef and served by an attentive staff. And no dishes to wash! Your family just might want to come by every day.
• Feather your nest. With all the boxes emptied and things put away, now’s a great time to just stop, take a breath, and really get a feel for how you’d like your new senior living home to look and feel. Is anything missing, like a few plants? A new throw for the love seat? Be sure to work in some quiet time in your first few weeks to relax and absorb the vibe of your new residence.
• Invite one person over once a week. No need to wait to make new friends. Ask your neighbor to drop by for an appetizer. Or invite a staff member over for coffee. Start a dialogue with those around you and you’ll quickly feel part of the neighborhood.
Download our Successful Transitions guide.
Helping your loved one settle into their new senior living home
It’s only natural for an older loved one to feel a bit left behind in their new senior living home. They may wonder how often they’ll see you, or whether they will be on your mind. To make sure they know they are still very much in your life, take a calendar and write down which days you will call or visit, or go ahead and schedule some lunch dates for the two of you. Encourage your family members to do the same thing.
Here are some other ideas:
• Meet the neighbors. If your loved one has not already done so, make a point of meeting their neighbors. This will help them feel part of the neighborhood in their new senior living home, and it will give you some peace of mind to know who is living next door.
• Help decorate their new senior living home. Make it a festive occasion. Invite friends and family to come by and help your loved one arrange their residence just as they’d like. Offer to shop for some décor, new throw pillows, or picture frames and take your loved one along if possible. Your presence and interest can go a long way to helping them comfortable and at home in their new senior living home.
• Bring the grandkids. Family schedules can be quite busy, but if you can occasionally bring the children by for a quick visit, it might mean the world for your Mom or Dad. Or, have a regular Zoom call and have a different grandchild participate each time. Even just a regular email can communicate to your loved one that they are still a very important part of the family.
• Keep a few traditions. If you and Mom love to explore antique shops, keep doing so. If she loved to call you after a favorite show to talk about what happened, hold on to that tradition. As time passes, she might become so busy with new activities and new friends that she fills up her calendar quickly. But holding on to some traditions will help her feel she is very much at home.
Feeling at home and feeling confident about the future
At Avalon Park independent living community, if your needs change, you’ll have access to an on-site supportive health services provider who can coordinate and deliver supplemental care services—which we call “supported autonomy”—right in the comfort of your apartment. That means peace of mind for you, your older loved ones, and your whole family.
We’d love to tell you more.
Avalon Park in Cottleville is a great retirement lifestyle.
Contact us today to set up your personalized tour. Learn how a move to senior living can give you the lifestyle you deserve – download our guide, Choosing the Right Community.
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