Transition to a care home: Tips to make the move stress-free for elderly with dementia.
While we all want our loved ones to age gracefully at home, sometimes it can become difficult to take care of them in the best way possible due to time constraints or lack of proper knowledge & skills. Especially when they have specific health conditions such as dementia. Dementia in elderly is caused due to damage in the nerve cells or loss of brain cells. Dementia can affect people differently and can cause different symptoms depending on the area of the brain that has been damaged. In such cases, moving the elderly to a care home can become the most optimal choice, where they are taken care of in a compassionate and skilled manner. However, this process of moving our aged parents or grandparents to a care home could be difficult and stressful for the family members and the elderly.
Elderly with dementia often find it difficult to move from a familiar environment to a new place. As in a move, they can become disorientated, distressed, and agitated when they feel insecure. For families, it is crucial to understand and recognize the stress of a move on elderly with dementia as it can have severe consequences if not addressed promptly. Chronic anxiety, risk of depression and other emotional health problems are among these.
These tips are essential if you are planning to move your elderly loved one with dementia into a senior care home:
- Familiarize with the place
Before you move your elderly to a care home, visit the community with the elderly several times to make them familiar with the place. Help them adapt to the new place and empower them to have a positive association with this new setting. Ensure that they feel safe and secure, try to stay there and participate in some activities.
- Give the bedroom a personalized touch.
Arrange a bedroom with known items that the elderlyl will recognize immediately. Personalized touch and familiar objects will help them feel comfortable.
- Organize the wardrobe
Often we notice signs of anxiety, frustration and twitching when a person with dementia cannot find clothes or frequently used items. Try to organize clothing on hangers in the closet and try to arrange things in a way familiar to the elderly.
- Plan your visits regularly
Families and friends need to visit frequently in the first two or three weeks so that elderly do not feel abandoned. Request a copy of the daily schedule, including meals and activities from the care home. Always try and choose the time of your visits wisely. Do not let it clash with any other scheduled programs for the elderly on the given day. It is not necessary to have extended visits. The aim is to assure the person that they are loved and that you will return very soon to meet them again.
- Communicate with the staff
Communication with the staff will help them to understand the elderly better. Always leave a note having your loved one’s likes and dislikes, favourite food, fun activities, name of their children or grandchildren and make a copy of it and hand it over to the staff. These notes will help the team to engage your elderly in meaningful activities and conversations.
With the help of the Senior care genie, the transition of the elderly from your home to the care home is made easy and less stressful. We at Senior Care Genie go above and beyond to make this transition as comfortable as possible, while also helping families deal with the process better emotionally as well as logistically.
