Tips to Help Mom Settle in to Assisted Living

April 11, 2017 by ·
Assisted-Living-in-Pascagoula-AL

Assisted Living in Pascagoula AL: Tips to Help Mom Settle in to Assisted Living

Your mother has decided to choose assisted living for her future. It may have been a long discussion that took several months or even a couple of years to finally get her to realize this is a valuable decision to make.

Now, though, you want to do what you can to help her settle in. You know she is not as outgoing as she used to be, is quite shy, and it may be difficult for her to make friends and feel settled once she actually moves in. There are few things you can do that will help out, at least in the short term.

Limit the phone calls and visits.

If you’re calling your mother several times throughout the day to check in on her, what do you think she’s going to be doing? She will probably be waiting around for your phone call instead of getting out, exploring the facility, meeting old friends and making new ones. She may not even have the time to take part in various activities.

Encourage her to mingle.

Your mother may be shy, but she’s an adult. He has met plenty of people throughout her life. This is your opportunity to encourage her to get out and meet people. Encourage her to mingle. She doesn’t have to strike up a conversation if she doesn’t want to.

She just has to put herself out there. There may be certain entertainment facilities or rooms, there’s a dining facility, and there may be a lounge or some other place she can sit down and read a book. If she gets into a routine of doing the same things several days in a row, people will start to notice, strike up a conversation with her, and that’s when she begins to make new friends.

Surround her with items of comfort.

When you help her move into this facility, she should be allowed to bring along at least a few token items or mementos. These could be pictures in a frame, arts and crafts her grandchildren made for her, or even pictures on the wall.

If she is allowed to bring these items, she should be encouraged to do that. Strategically set them up around her room where she sees them every day. This will allow her to feel more comfortable, as though this is the place she has been in for a long time.

The more comfortable a person is with their surroundings, the easier it becomes to settle in and feel like they have finally arrived at home.

If you or an aging loved one are considering Assisted Living near Pascagoula, AL, contact Ashbury Manor Specialty Care and Assisted Living at 251-317-3017.

 

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About Cindy Johnson

Ashbury Manor’s Administrator since 2008, Cindy Johnson is a long-time expert in the assisted living field. Prior to her arrival at Ashbury Manor, Cindy managed acquisitions and crisis management for existing and new larger senior care project developments for eleven years. As regional manager for an Oregon-based assisted living management company, Cindy was directly responsible for operations for five 50-65 bed assisted living facilities. As manager during the transition to new ownership, Cindy reorganized internal operations and conducted leadership training for Executive Directors. As a result of her management and expertise, one of the company’s facilities (in Ocala, Florida) received a deficiency-free survey, resulting in the lifting of a moratorium on operation.

A nurse for 36 years, senior care has always been Cindy’s passion. Desiring to work more closely with residents, Cindy became a Category II Administrator in 2005. As Ashbury Manor’s Administrator, Cindy understands the complexities associated with dementia and cognitive impairment and she has fallen in love with seniors with dementia or cognitive impairment and their families.

Cindy is Treasurer of the local “Senior Coalition” chapter. She enjoys mentoring new candidates who want to become administrators.

As a 16-bed facility, with Cindy's training and experience, our residents and their families can be sure Ashbury Manor’s carefully selected staff provides the expertise of a larger facility while maintaining the individualized personal care of a small special needs home.
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