Relocating into a care home can be an emotionally charged time for both the residents and their family. Having said that, this move can be changed into a positive experience with the following basic recommendations: See how we can help -
PERSONALISE THEIR ROOM AND KEEP 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 bring your loved one plenty of outfits and toiletries for at least 2 weeks. Always remember 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 family member in the settling in process.
PROVIDE THE TEAM LOTS OF INFORMATION.
The personnel at the care home want to help make your loved one’s move into the care home as encouraging as possible. So, just before your loved one moves in, give the care home work force some information about your relative’s life so they can use this to create a relationship with their new resident as rapidly as possible. This will also help the resident feel more at home if they are able to have conversations with the staff about special events in their life.This info 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 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 line of work?
SPEND TIME AT THE HOME BEFORE THEY MOVE IN.
Care home workers regularly say that residents settle in a lot faster and loved ones feel more reassured 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 day-to-day schedules before they move in. This avoids 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 prepared to hang around for the day. Strive to finish all forms and crucial tasks in advance so that your time can be spent making your loved one feel as comfortable as feasible and making their room feel like home.You’re likely to sense a mixture of emotions on this day – relief that your loved one 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 sentiments are totally 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 hope this quick guide has been informative and given you some helpful advice on how to move your relative into a care home and make it a positive experience for everybody involved.
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