5 Suggestions to Make an Assisted Living Facility Feel Homier
One of the reasons that our residents (and their families) love The Sarah House is that it doesn’t feel like a standard assisted living facility. We have four different locations in Ormond Beach, Florida, and each one is in a beautiful, comfortable residence that feels like an upscale home. However, many of our residences still enjoy putting their own homey touches on their rooms, and we welcome this whole-heartedly. So, if you’re looking for a few ideas on how to make your loved one’s room feel a little homier, here are some suggestions.
Family Photographs
Photographs are largely the most popular way to make any space feel homier. After all, nothing makes a room feel closer to home quite like seeing the smiling faces of those you love all around you. So be sure your loved one has plenty of family photos to place in their bedroom when they arrive. They can hang them on walls or place them on nightstands to help themselves feel a little bit more at home.
Favorite Bedding
Though The Sarah House provides everything your loved one needs to live comfortably here, some of our residents prefer bringing their own bedding along with them. This may be a favorite quilt that they made before their wedding, or an afghan passed down from their mother. You are welcome to bring these along. Having familiar bedding in their bedroom can help many residents to adjust to their new accommodations when they first make the move to one of our assisted living facilities.
Important Keepsakes
While your loved one can’t bring everything from home with them, it’s perfectly acceptable for them to bring a few important keepsakes along when they move into The Sarah House. These should be smaller items, like a few favorite books or photo albums, small heirlooms, and other items with sentimental value. Please help your loved one to sort through their possessions and determine which items might be appropriate to bring with them to their new home. If your loved one has a shared room, please be considerate of the other person who will be sharing the room, and ensure that they too have enough space for their keepsakes.
Encourage Socialization
Of course, a home is not made by the things that we keep in it. A home is a place where we are surrounded by the people we care about. So, encourage your loved one to engage with the other community members at their facility. As they form strong relationships with those around them, The Sarah House will naturally begin to feel more like home. Our caring staff always does their best to encourage every resident to create these genuine relationships; however, the encouragement of their family members is often needed to help them take those first steps.
Be Present
Moving from their long-time homes and into an assisted living community is difficult for all of our residents, even if they know the change is for the best. So, do all you can to be there for them. Be present throughout the move. Help them to sort through their possessions and decide what to bring, and offer support and encouragement as they prepare to make this change. Help them to get settled in on that first day, and spend as much time as you can at the location with them, so you can both get familiar with the facility and its grounds.
After your loved one is settled in, visit often, especially during the first few weeks. Encourage other family members to do the same, if possible. Seeing familiar faces on a regular basis can really help to smooth the transition and make an unfamiliar place feel homier.
And remember, every time you visit, keep a positive attitude. Focus on discussing all of the positive aspects of their new home, and the things that they are enjoying about living there. If your loved one needs to discuss some of their negative emotions or difficulties they are having with the adjustment, allow them to do so. But always do your best to bring things back to the positive aspects of their experience here.
If you’re concerned about your loved one’s ability to adjust comfortably to living at The Sarah House, we encourage you to speak to our staff members. It is our greatest desire that every feel right at home resident in our Ormond Beach, Florida, assisted living facilities. We will work with you and do everything we can to ensure that your loved one feels safe, comfortable, and cared for here at The Sarah House.