LONDON – LIVING – Breaking the news to a loved one that they need to move into a care home is never easy, but once the commotion is over and everyone is settled, it’s the time to prepare to move them into a care home. You can never prepare too much when moving into a care home, as it’s essentially like moving house minus the extensive amount of paperwork. Usually, feeling settled in a care home is all about feeling closer to home and your relatives, while still feeling included and understood. If you’re struggling to prepare for the move, these are our top tips.
Provide The Home With Plenty Of Information
There are numerous care homes in London that will make learning about the resident’s background and preferences a necessity; however, others may need a little effort from your side. If you experience the latter, prepare for the move by noting down absolutely everything about yourself, including medical conditions, likes and dislikes, hobbies… even your all-time favourite meal! The more information your care home is provided with, the higher standard of care they’re able to provide, allowing you to ensure your stay in your care home is an enjoyable and comforting one.
Make Your Room Appear More Homely
As briefly mentioned earlier, staying at a care home is all about feeling close to home and as if you never left, and undeniably the best way to do this is to decorate your room to make it resemble your previous home as much as possible. Get the walls painted your favourite colour, and bring as many family photos as possible to hang on the walls and place on your drawers. In fact, some care homes will be happy to allow residents to bring their own furniture into their room, as it’s these personal touches that will make the stay a more comforting one.
Develop A Partnership With The Staff
It’s easy to feel isolated as a resident in a care home, especially when you have busy relatives that aren’t able to visit you as frequently as you’d like. However, this doesn’t mean that you have to be an outcast, and in fact, a large part of care home preparation is all about building relationships with staff and current residents prior to actually moving there full time! A relationship with your carers will allow them to provide you with exceptional care, and you’ll start to feel more involved and less alienated by the move.
The Essentials
Then, of course, you’ll want to think about what you need to bring with you. Of course, the majority of facilities and supplies will be provided by the care home, however, bringing your own little nick-nacks will simply make the overall transition much easier. One of the most important items to bring along with you would be your daytime and nighttime clothes, as these again will relate to home life and will make you feel reassured after your move. Furthermore, always ensure you bring your current prescription medicine so that your carers can continue to provide you with more, as well as any toiletries that you enjoy using such as skin creams.
Moving into a care home is a massive transition and milestone in your life, so you’ll want to get it right to ensure that you remember the move for all the right reasons. Ultimately, moving into a care home is a huge change, however, the best way to feel prepared and comfortable is to ensure that not much changes at all, so ensure you keep as many things personalised as possible!
