How Can an Aging Senior Feel More at Ease Emptying Their Home as They Transition to Assisted Living?

March 24, 2020 by ·

It may sound like a harsh word: ‘emptying,’ at least in reference to cleaning out one’s home, going through personal possessions, and ‘thinning things out’ in order to move. Yet, this is often what happens when an aging senior decides assisted living would be the best thing for them and their future and has to downsize.

The longer a person has lived in the same home, the more difficult this challenge could be. Some seniors have lived in their home for decades, accumulating a vast amount of memories, mementos, and tokens of a life they are now seeing as fleeting.

How to help make this transition easier.

Assisted Living Daphne, AL: Downsizing and Moving to Assisted Living

If you’re a family member or friend of somebody who is about to make this move to assisted living, there are numerous ways you can help make the process a bit easier and smoother.

Be a physical presence, whenever possible.

If you live close enough to make this feasible, stop by as often as you can while this aging senior is going through boxes, cleaning off shelves, and putting things away.

Just having somebody there can be uplifting, even while going through these difficult, emotional moments. You may be able to help carry things, pull things down from an attic or closet, and help this person organize.

Too many times, organization slows down the process and causes people to get overwhelmed. If you can help with the organization, they can focus on figuring out what to do with all of the possessions they’ve acquired over these many years.

Ask them about certain memories.

As they go through photo albums, pack up mementos, and even revisit old birthday, Valentine’s, and holiday cards, ask if they would share some of those memories.

Often, great, powerful memories are stored up in these simple tokens of life. If they know somebody is asking questions and genuinely wishes to hear about those moments in their life, it can bring a smile to their face as they recall it for somebody else.

Assist them in making decisions about what to do with these items.

Encourage other family and friends to accept some of these mementos as gifts. They may not wish to keep them for long as they may not have any inherent value to them, but if this senior believes part of these memories will go on to somebody else or items can be of use, it will help as they transition from their current home to assisted living.

 

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

Filed Under: Assisted Living Daphne AL, Downsizing and Transitioning to Assisted Living · Tagged: ,
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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