Topic: moving
Do you have a plan for the time when home is no longer safe and supportive for your parent/s, your spouse, your partner, or you?
Families are usually pragmatic and understand that an older adult who is living with a dementia or Parkinson’s diagnosis, for example, will eventually need to move to a safer, more supportive environment in the future. …
Uncertainty is scary. When we encounter uncertainty and change, the sympathetic nervous system is often engaged. This is what triggers “flight or fight.”
The topic of moving may prompt your parent to bristle at the suggestion. They resist the idea for a myriad of reasons: Home is familiar. They’re overwhelmed by all their stuff. Change is hard. The uncertainty is scary. …
Retirement Communities: Perception Versus RealityRead More »
The decision to move someone in your care to memory care or an adult family home can be difficult. However, it’s often the best choice when daily caregiving responsibilities begin to impact the safety and health of either the person living with dementia and/or their primary caregiver, be it a spouse, partner, or adult child. …
Are your parents resisting the idea of a move to a retirement community? One reason may be they’re overwhelmed by the thought of a move given the amount of stuff they’ve accumulated through the years.
It can also be anxiety-provoking to contemplate how you will help your parents organize their belongings and move from a single-family home or condo to an apartment or room at a retirement community. The challenge might even cause you to ignore or delay the issue all together.
Planning ahead with a few simple steps can help you help your older loved ones make peace with their “stuff.”
Check out these Aging Wisdom blogs for tips on understanding resistance to a move, managing belongings, and making a move less overwhelming:
- Should It Stay or Should It Go? Making Peace with Our ‘Stuff’
- Uncertainty is Scary: Uncertainty Might Be Why Your Parent is Resisting a Move
- Getting rid of your stuff
Looking for guidance as you navigate resistance and managing “right-sizing”? We are the experts! Click here to schedule a Get-Acquainted call today to get started.
The most common reason to move in later years is to be closer to children and grandchildren. Regardless of your reason for relocating, unless you plan to live with family, there will be many hours of the day when you are just plain newbies in town. How will you spend your time?
If proximity to younger kin is compelling your thoughts, clarify the role you want to play and see if it’s a shared vision. If you have hopes they will help as you get older, be sure to discuss that, as well as any childcare expectations they may have. Also think through if they need to relocate (e.g., job transfer), what will you do then? …
Moving a parent to memory care or an adult family home can be a difficult decision for families, but it’s often the best choice. The transition can be challenging initially, though your mom or dad will eventually become accustomed to the routines, sights, and sounds of their new residence.
In our experience as Care Managers, our clients who are living with a progressive condition such as Alzheimer’s or another dementia often do much better once they’ve made the move. Staff are adept at welcoming, orienting, and comforting new residents.
Facilitating a successful transition to a memory care community takes forethought and planning. Here are a few ideas to make the change easier and the transition a success: …
Three out of five (61%) of adults over 60 feel they have more stuff than they need. And yet many of us find it emotionally painful to cull our belongings.
While the physical labor of “right-sizing” is daunting, perhaps more powerful—and surprising—is the emotional challenge. For instance, you may feel that letting go of grandmother’s wedding dress is like putting her in the trash. Or that if you discard your high school debate trophy, it’s like that part of you has died. Or that giving away the fabric you bought to make a quilt “one day” is like abandoning your inner artist. It’s human nature to imbue belongings with meaning, and it’s those heartstrings that give us pause.
Some tips to help you let go …
Fear of losing independence and freedom are common refrains we hear from clients when the topic of moving to a retirement community is proposed.
Your parents may be resistant to the idea because they have an image of the traditional medical model nursing home in mind when you mention a supportive living community. It’s not unusual to perceive a senior living as restrictive.
The reality is quite different. A move to a community often results in greater independence. …
A Move to a Retirement Community Could Mean More Independence for Your ParentRead More »
Uncertainty is scary. When we encounter uncertainty and change, the sympathetic nervous system is often engaged. This is what triggers “flight or fight.”
When a threat is perceived, we have a stress response. Conversations about change, like a move to a retirement community, can be that stressor, that trigger. …
Uncertainty is Scary. Uncertainty Might Be Why Your Parent is Resisting A Move.Read More »
The popularity of books such as “The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning” and programs like “Tidying Up with Maria Kondo” have many of us rethinking our possessions and living environments. The idea of organizing, downsizing or “rightsizing” takes on a particular urgency if we are anticipating helping our parents prepare for a move to a senior living or long-term care community.
It can be anxiety-provoking to contemplate how you will help your parents organize their belongings and move from a single-family home or condo to an apartment or room. The challenge might even cause you to ignore or delay the issue all together.
…
Should It Stay or Should It Go? Making Peace with Our ‘Stuff’Read More »
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