Relocating into a care home can be an emotive period for both the residents and their family members. Having said that, this switch can be switched into a positive experience with the following simple ideas: See how we can help Beaucare
CUSTOMISE THEIR BEDROOM 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 BEST OUTFITS AND TOILETRIES.
Try and pack your loved one enough clothing and toiletries for at least two full weeks. Remember to put a name tag on each piece of clothing so that they don’t get mingled up with the washing of other residents’ in the laundry room. Try to pack toiletries that your loved one usually uses at home as the familiar smells will help your loved one in the settling in procedure.
OFFER THE TEAM LOTS OF INFORMATION.
The personnel at the care property want to help make your relative’s relocation into the care home as beneficial as feasible. So, before your loved one moves in, give the care home team some relevant information about your relative’s life so they can use this to create a connection with their new resident as swiftly as possible. This will also help the resident feel more at home if they are able to have conversations with the staff about 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 pictures of them with family members. Things to include 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 occupation?
SPEND TIME AT THE RESIDENCE PRIOR TO THEY MOVE IN.
Care home workers regularly say that residents settle in 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 people and get to know the day-to-day routines before they move in. This protects against the change from being too much of a shock to the system.
BE THERE FOR THEM WHENEVER THEY MAKE THE MOVE.
On the day of the move give yourself adequate time to do no matter what comes up and be prepped to stick around for the whole day. Attempt to finish all forms and important jobs in advance so that your time can be spent making your loved one feel as comfortable as possible and making their room feel like home.You’re likely to feel a mixture of emotions on this day – relief that your family member is going to be receiving the care they need, sadness that they are leaving behind their home, worry about whether they will settle in okay. All of these feelings are completely normal and easy to understand, but try and be as positive as possible to reassure your family member and help them to feel positive too.
We hope this quick guide has been useful and given you some valuable advice on how to move your family member into a care home and make it a beneficial experience for everybody involved.
If you need any more help you can reach us here Beaucare Patient Care