Moving into a senior living community is a big change for anyone. For seniors who have lived their whole life in a single family home, senior living communities provide a seemingly insurmountable hurdle into their new lives. 

Even younger adults struggle with moving into a new place, and that’s when they know they’ll still be able to retain their full autonomy. For some seniors in senior living communities, that isn’t always the case. This can be a heartbreaking and difficult realization for seniors to come to. 

This change, however, doesn’t have to be the end. You or your loved one can still find something important and valid in their new community, even though it may feel like the change may be impossible to overcome. 

Here are some ways that seniors can start to change their mindset and embrace changes:

 

1. Connect With Your New Community

The best part of living in senior living communities is just that: the community. Living in a single home is a nice feeling, knowing that you’re surrounded by all of your things, that you can decorate it how you want, that people can come over to your house and you can have them stay as long as you want, wherever you want, etc. You are the master of your domain. 

However, living in a single family home is isolating. You may not know your neighbors, and until your family and loved ones come to visit, your home stays empty. While you may not intend for it to be that way, this can still be extremely lonely. 

In a senior living community, you no longer have these same freedoms. You can’t come and go as you please, and many senior homes have set meal times to come and eat in the dining hall. When you first arrive, it may feel oppressive – but it doesn’t have to be. 

Senior living communities provide something that single family homes cannot: constant friendship and companionship. In a senior community, you or your loved one can join clubs, go to classes, make friends with their neighbors, and more without ever setting foot outside of their hallway. It’s an amazing way to get involved and make friends with people that you would’ve never gotten the opportunity to before. 

 

2. Create a New Routine

Before moving out of your home, you or your loved one likely had a routine. They’d wake up at a certain time, enjoy a cup of coffee and watch the news or read the newspaper, play with a pet or watch television, enjoy time with friends, and more. In a senior living community, that routine is likely to change, but that doesn’t mean that it has to spell the end of the routine for good.

Instead of having coffee alone in their home, encourage your senior to go out to the dining area and enjoy their morning cup of joe with some of the other residents. Grab a television in one of the lobby areas to watch the morning news together. Go on a daily walk around the center with some of the other residents to get exercise. Whatever it may be, moving out of your home doesn’t have to be the end of your routines. 

Two senior men sit and chat outside

 

3. Accept That You Can’t Change Some Things

Have you ever heard of the Serenity Prayer? If you’re active in the Christian faith or have been in the past, then you may have heard of the Serenity Prayer. It goes vaguely like this: “Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

Even if you aren’t religious and never have been, the ideas reflected in the Serenity Prayer can be applicable to aspects of our lives like embracing new changes within our home and our lifestyle. Making the move to senior living communities is a hard one. It’s one that requires a lot of thought, planning, and support.

However, what many seniors fail to realize is that once they make that move, their lives change drastically. They no longer have as much control over the where, when, and how of their lives because they fall into this new routine. While your senior may still have some independence in their apartment, they no longer have the freedom to come and go as they please, to choose what they’re going to make for dinner, and more. It’s a big adjustment. 

Learning to understand and accept that things are going to be different from here on out can do wonders to help your loved one really embrace their new situation instead of just being in it. 

 

4. Reflect on the Changes In Your Life

When the thoughts, feelings, and emotions get to be too much, sometimes you just need to be able to get those feelings out, and journaling is a great way to do that. Look back on your life and consider everything that’s gotten you to this point, like starting new jobs, moving homes, starting a family, getting married, and all of those other major life events. Compared to those, moving into a senior center probably feels like a drop in the bucket!

Take some time and write how you feel in a notebook. If you feel like looking back at these changes is a great way to help you adjust, then maybe journaling can be a part of your brand new daily routine as well. No matter what the reason, you should feel happy, accomplished, and proud that your amazing, fulfilling life has led you here, even if it might not feel right at first. 

 

Make Kingsley Your New Home

Here at Kingsley, we understand that the move into senior living communities is a difficult one. We know that this is a massive, life-changing decision that isn’t taken lightly in your home, and it’s one that we don’t take lightly here as well. Moving into a senior center signifies a big change in your life, and one that you might not always be prepared for, but we hope that here at Kinglsey, you’ll feel welcome regardless.

If you’re interested in making Kingsley your new home, then contact us and schedule a tour today!