How To Get Involved With My Loved One’s Senior Care Community
When you or a loved one makes the move to a senior living community, there are several unknown factors that come up for family members. Will they enjoy living at their new community? Will it be easy for them to adapt and feel comfortable? How will family members fit into their new life?
How To Remain Connected and Close To Your Loved One
First and foremost, you and your loved one should know that the family members of residents are considered an essential part of Hamlet. Everyone at our community is excited about the opportunity to get to know the families of residents. You’re always welcome to visit and here are a few additional ways family members can get involved:
- Get acquainted with staff members and caregivers. As you spend time with your loved one at their new community, take the time to learn about the people caring for them. It’s not only enjoyable for your loved one to visit with new people, but you’ll also find common threads as you get to know staff members and learn about their backgrounds, hobbies and aspirations.
- Assist staff members in getting to know your loved one. As a family member, you can encourage your loved one to share about their family history, interests and preferences. By learning more about your loved, staff members are better able to understand their care and overall needs – and more likely to notice changes in their health and well-being if any occur.
- Find ways to get involved at the community. Hamlet is very open to family involvement and would love for family members to participate in activities and events at our retirement community. It’s a great way to meet even more of your loved one’s neighbors and staff members and it also may help break the ice so your loved one becomes more active and involved.
- Make a plan for special occasions. In addition to community-hosted events, you can also plan your own events for or with your loved one. Ideas include bringing in treats for their birthday or anniversary or reserving a private dining room or gathering space for a special meal or party. Ideally you would be providing an opportunity for your loved one to interact with those they care about most as well as other residents and staff members.
- Keep up with regular visits and communication. Most importantly, staying in close contact with your loved one helps them stay connected. We understand it can be difficult, particularly for out-of-town family members to feel involved. At Hamlet, we’ll help facilitate the involvement of family members in any way we can.
