When you choose assisted living in Oklahoma City for your loved one, it can be a great gift that ensures they remain safe while maintaining the independence they want. However, not everyone easily adjusts to senior assisted living in OKC. The good news is that there are ways you can help your loved one adjust to their new home.

Keep in Contact

Seniors are often worried they will lose touch with their family members if they move into affordable senior living. While they will make friends in their new home, it isn’t the same as having family there for you. Frequent visits can go a long way toward putting your loved one’s worries at ease. Even when you can’t be there in person, regular phone calls, emails, letters, and other forms of contact can help your loved one feel connected to you and the rest of the family.

Personalize Their Living Space

Senior assisted living in OKC can provide more flexibility in how your loved one decorates their living space. Assisted living in Oklahoma City typically offers separate apartments for each resident or couple, giving them the privacy they want with easy access to help when they need it. You can make this apartment feel more like home by decorating it with familiar items from their old home and putting up pictures of family. Let your loved one help you choose which items to move with them and which ones to give away. 

Get to Know the Staff

It’s reasonable to expect you can’t be there for your loved one at all times. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t make sure they have the help they need, especially during the adjustment period. Take time to talk to the staff. After your loved one moves in, reach out to the staff to check on them. Your senior loved one may tell you everything is fine, even if it isn’t. The staff can give you an outsider’s perspective on how they’re doing in their new environment.

Encourage Old Hobbies

Moving into assisted living in Oklahoma City doesn’t mean your loved one has to give up on doing the things they love. These facilities often offer new opportunities for developing new hobbies, but you can help your senior loved one to adjust more smoothly by encouraging them to maintain their old hobbies. Supply them with the things they need to continue or take them out to enjoy activities that may not be available at the facility.

Avoid Being Overprotective

It’s natural to want to protect your senior loved one when they move to affordable senior living. While it’s good to keep in touch and visit as often as possible, it’s just as critical to let go a bit. Allow your loved one to pursue new friendships and settle into their new life. Seniors often wish to maintain their independence. Hovering over them and trying to protect them more than necessary can lead to poor adjustments.

If you’re thinking about making the move to senior assisted living in OKC for an aging loved one, contact us. We can help you find the best way to support your loved one as they make this transition.