5 Tips for Making the Move to Senior Living Communities -

Are you going to be moving into one of the senior living communities in California soon? If you are, the first thing you should do is make sure you pick the right senior living community.

California is one of the youngest states in the country, which might lead you to believe it wouldn’t have as many senior living communities as other states. But because of its sheer size, there isn’t any shortage of senior living options in the state.

With this in mind, you should cast a wide net when you’re in the market for a retirement home and select the best choice. You should also keep some other things in mind to help make your transition to one of the retirement homes in California go as smoothly as possible.

Check out five tips for making a move to senior living communities below.

1. Decide Exactly How Much Care You’ll Need

Are you still a pretty independent person for the most part? Or do you need help doing a lot of everyday tasks like cooking, cleaning, etc.?

Most senior living facilities are going to provide you with a wide range of services. You can choose from independent living, assisted living, memory care, hospice care, and more.

After you know which facility you’re going to move to, you should scope out their services and select the ones that will work best for you. You might want to ask family members and/or friends to help you do this based on what they know about your current needs.

2. Work to Make a Senior Living Facility Feel Like Home

They say the average home has somewhere around 300,000 items inside it. If you have anywhere close to that number of things in your current home, bringing them all to a retirement home with you will probably be out of the question.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t bring some of your most prized possessions to a senior living community so that you’re able to keep them around. It’ll be important for you to make your new living quarters feel like home.

You can do this by packing up everything from family photos to your favorite blanket to bring with you to a senior living facility. Taking these things with you will enable you to feel more comfortable in a retirement home from the start.

3. Take Advantage of Everything a Retirement Home Offers

A good senior living facility is going to provide you with more than just a place to live. It’s also going to set you up with so many things that can help you lead a fulfilling life.

For example, you might find that a senior living community will provide you with a place to get your hair done. It might also have different places for you to eat.

There will also typically be a social calendar that includes lots of different classes, group activities, and more. You should try to take part in as many events as you can instead of just spending all your time by yourself in your room. It’ll help to keep your body and mind healthy and put you in a position to do your fair share of socializing.

4. Make New Friends (and Keep in Touch With Old Ones!)

Speaking of socializing, you’re going to be surrounded by so many people that you don’t know when you first move into one of the senior living communities in California. You might feel overwhelmed by this at first, but over time, you should strive to make as many new friends as you can.

If you isolate yourself in a senior living facility, the loneliness you may start to feel can be detrimental to both your physical and mental health. It might also be challenging for you to find happiness if you feel like you don’t have friends you can turn to.

This doesn’t mean you should lose touch with the friends you already have. If possible, you should call and even visit with them regularly.

But at the same time, you should make every effort to find like-minded people in a senior living community. There are bound to be at least a few people who you’ll really get along with.

5. Give Yourself Enough Time to Adjust

Generally speaking, most people don’t like change. They would prefer to keep things status quo, especially when it comes to their living arrangements. It’s one of the many reasons why people list moving as the single most stressful life event they ever have to go through.

If moving under normal circumstances stresses you out, you can imagine how difficult it might be to move into a senior living community. It’s going to be a big change for you.

Because of this, you should make sure you provide yourself with plenty of time to adjust to your new surroundings. Approach moving into a senior living facility with an open mind and try not to worry too much if you don’t immediately love it.

In the weeks and months to come, you’ll begin to see what makes living in a senior living community so special. But you’ll need to give yourself time to make the necessary adjustments to your new way of life.

See Why We’re One of the Best Senior Living Communities

If you’re on the hunt for one of the best senior living communities in California, we hope you’ll consider stopping by Royal Garden Board & Care Homes. We promise we can provide you with an excellent experience when you move into our senior living facility.

We can work with you and your family to come up with the best living arrangements. Whether you would like to continue to live independently for the most part or get help for memory issues, we can extend the services you need.