Steps for Moving Your Parent into a Care Home

If it’s time to move a parent into a care home, you might be finding things difficult. Not only is this an emotional time of life – because change always is – but there is a lot to consider as well. It can get rather overwhelming, and that can cause you stress that your parent will pick up on and which will make them anxious, too. So, to prevent this from happening, it’s good to be as prepared as possible before the day actually comes. Here are some steps to consider to help you get prepared.

Visit The Care Home

It’s crucial that you visit the care home before the actual day your parent is to move there. Not only will this ensure you know exactly where it is and what the parking situation is like, but it will also mean that you get to meet the staff, see the facilities, and generally have an overview of what it is like there. Most care homes, such as those run by signature-care-homes.co.uk, will be happy for children or other family members of potential residents (and the residents themselves) to visit as much as they need to beforehand. The staff understands that it’s a difficult time and that you need to be sure of things before committing to anything.

It’s vital to get a good idea of the care home’s reputation before making any decisions. The home might look nice from the outside, but in reality, it might be understaffed, dated or even dangerous. Some care homes are found to neglect residents, and in extreme cases, some residents can even be exposed to abuse. These Dallas nursing home abuse lawyers, and similar lawyers elsewhere, work hard to bring justice to the vulnerable people experiencing this, but sometimes, the signs of abuse are not obvious until you’ve spent a long time in the home itself. The more you know about the care home your parent is moving into, the more relaxed you will be about taking them there, and your parent will be less stressed knowing that you are calm and in control.

The more you know about the care home your parent is moving into the more relaxed you will be about taking them there and your parent will be less stressed knowing that you are calm and in control.

Plan Ahead

It’s crucial that you plan ahead when it comes to moving your parent into a care home, and ideally the person themselves should be involved in the planning, although this will depend on their health situation to some extent.

Take some time to talk about what home comforts they are going to need to take with them, what keepsakes will make them feel at home, and what items of furniture can be taken too. Often a care home will already have furniture in the resident’s room, but if they want to take something particular with them, care homes do tend to be fairly flexible. After all, their main function is to ensure that the resident has the best quality of life possible, and if that means having a particular chair or their own bed in the room, this is often achievable.

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You can also invest in a computer or a tablet that will allow your parent access to the internet for entertainment and to keep in touch with others. You can have video calls every day if you want to, as long as they have their own device to make the calls from.

Don’t Rush

Rushing into any big life decision is never a good idea, but when it comes to moving into a care home, it can be a huge mistake. Take things slowly, move items a little at a time, have your parent visit for the day, then stay overnight, and then for a few days, and then, when they are truly comfortable, to move in permanently.

Change is discomforting at the best of times, even positive change, and if you rush to get the difficult move over with sooner rather than later, this can cause a lot of anxiety. When it’s slow and gradual, it will feel much easier for everyone.