Transferring into a care home can be a sensitive time for both the residents and their whole family. However,this change can be turned into a beneficial experience with the following simple recommendations: See how we can help -
PERSONALISE THEIR SPACE AND MAKE IT HOMELY.
Place familiar objects around your loved one’s room,such as photographs,ornaments or a favourite chair. This will make their room feel more like home and help them settle in much quicker.
PACK THE RIGHT CLOTHING AND TOILETRIES.
Try and pack your loved one enough clothing and toiletries for at least two weeks. Bear in mind to put a name tag on each piece of clothing so that they don’t get mixed up with the washing of other residents’ in the laundry room. Try to pack toiletries that your loved one typically uses at home as the familiar smells will help your loved one in the settling in procedure.
OFFER THE STAFF LOTS OF RELATED INFORMATION.
The staff at the care property want to help make your loved one’s move into the care home as beneficial as possible. So,just before your loved one moves in,give the care home team some information about your relative’s life so they can use this to build a relationship with their new resident as quickly as possible. This will also help the resident feel more at home if they are able to have conversations with the staff about very special occasions in their life.This information could be in the form of highlights about your loved one,or a short story about them as well as photographs of them with family members. Things to incorporate could be: Where did they grow up? When and where did they get married? How many children and grandchildren do they have? What was their line of work?
SPEND TIME AT THE HOME PRIOR TO THEY MOVE IN.
Care home staff typically say that residents settle in a lot faster and loved ones feel more assured if they spend some time at the care home before moving in. This can trigger your relative to get to know staff members and other occupants and get to know the regular routines before they move in. This avoids the change from being too much of a shock to the system.
BE THERE FOR THEM THE SECOND THEY MAKE THE MOVE.
On the day of the move give yourself adequate time to do no matter what comes up and be readied to hang around for the whole day. Try to finish all forms and vital jobs beforehand so that your time can be spent making your loved one feel as relaxed as feasible and making their room feel like home.You’re likely to feel a mix of feelings on this day – relief that your family member is going to be getting the care they need,sadness that they are leaving their home,worry about whether they will settle in okay. All of these feelings are perfectly normal and easy to understand,but try and be as positive as possible to assure your family member and help them to feel positive too.
We really hope this overview has been useful and given you some valuable advice on how to move your loved one into a care home and make it a beneficial experience for everyone involved.
If you need any more help you can reach us here -