Transitioning to Assisted Living
Trying to integrate yourself into a new environment can be difficult at any age, but for seniors especially, it can be a hard barrier to cross. Many seniors tend to isolate themselves instead of interacting with the world around them, when it can be more important than ever before to make sure they get the social interaction they need. Having so many new experiences all at once can be overwhelming, and that will often give your senior further cause to simply stay indoors.
If you’re a caregiver or simply a loved one worried about your senior being involved at the Carlsbad assisted living facility, here are some ways that you can help them get out a little more:
How To Help Get Your Senior Involved
Let Them Set Their Own Pace
Remember that moving to an assisted living facility is a big jump, so make sure to give them time to do things at their own pace. It’s very likely that your senior isn’t going to want to jump into things immediately. Doing too much so suddenly isn’t going to appeal to them right out of the gate, and trying to force them might make them retreat into their shell even further.
Instead, give them the time to familiarize themselves with their new location and the people around them. Let them get used to seeing their neighbors, who likes to gather in the common areas, get an idea of what kind of activities there are, and anything else. They’ll be more willing to participate if they can do what they want on their own time.
You can also encourage your senior to participate in things that they might have done at their own home. Did they like to take baked goods over to their neighbors? Did they like to go on walks around the neighborhood with a group of friends? Encouraging them to do these kinds of activities that they would’ve done at home anyway might encourage them to be a little more involved.
Check the Activity Calendar
You can also use that time to find out more about your loved one’s new facility and the activities it has to offer. Our Carlsbad assisted living facility has a wide array of different activities to choose from, including painting and dance classes, yoga, tai chi, and other scheduled activities. There are also several other ways for your senior to get involved in social activities, like Sunday brunch, holiday parties, and happy hour gatherings.
Observing how everything works and how everyone acts in the facility can help you be able to provide a little familiarity and comfort to your senior. Is there a group of seniors that like to get together to discuss what books they’re reading? Is there another group that meets up pretty early in the morning over coffee to gossip or shoot the breeze? Maybe there’s a group that likes to bake, or sew, or even play video games! In such a large assisted living facility like Carlsbad assisted living, there’s bound to be at least one other person that shares the same interests as your senior loved one.
If they are a little reluctant to go out and meet new people, familiarize yourself with how things are run can give you that extra insight that might be the encouragement that they need. If they can find something that they know they’ll share an interest with someone in, they might feel more comfortable.
Small Groups Are Fun!
Remember that your loved ones can be social without being in big groups all the time. There are going to be some ways no matter where you are that your loved one can get involved, even if it might not be in the most traditional sense.
Maybe your loved one loved to play an instrument before they moved into the assisted living facility, and hasn’t found the opportunity to do so again yet. This may be something that they’d be willing to share with the community! You can speak – or have your loved one speak – to one of the directors of the facility. It might be possible to have them play for the rest of the community one night to share their love of music.
Volunteering and Outreach
Another option is having them do some outreach work. Once again, being social doesn’t necessarily mean having to join big groups of people where your loved one might feel uncomfortable. If your senior loved one still has full mobility and good strength, they might want to volunteer to push some of the other residents’ wheelchairs into the dining hall or to other activities. Another option is to go around to the rooms to hand out snacks, maybe help with meal delivery if a resident isn’t quite as mobile, or hand out other toiletry items.
Offices consistently need all the help that they can get, too. If one of your loved ones worked in an office environment before they retired, they might be an asset to the office staff to help them complete easy tasks. Your loved one may be their designated mail sorter, stamp placer, or some other easy task that gets them out of their room and active in the facility.
What Sets Bayshire Carlsbad Apart
We realize that every senior’s experience is going to be different. Not every senior is going to be a massive social butterfly, and that’s okay. What we do strive for is that opportunity to allow them to choose.
At our Carlsbad assisted living facility, we want to make sure that every senior has the option to be active and involved in the way that makes them the most happy and most comfortable. Between our classes, off-site visits to local attractions, games, and clubs, we hope that your senior will find something that they enjoy, even if it may take them a while to get there.
If you’re interested in touring our Bayshire Carlsbad assisted living facility, contact us and book a tour today!
