Making a Smooth Transition to a Senior Living Community

Making a Smooth Transition to a Senior Living Community

When it comes to healthy aging, quite honestly, there’s a lot to do. You’re supposed to make sure to keep your body active and your brain engaged all while maintaining your social connections as well. Sure, the benefits to your overall well-being are worth the effort, but retirement is supposed to be a time with less responsibility on your plate, right? Well, it turns out that in senior living you can have your cake and eat it too, so to speak. Here’s how programs like our Vivid Life make keeping active, engaged, and connected easy and fun! 

Benefits of Healthy Aging 

Good things happen when you focus on healthy aging. In addition to feeling better overall, which in and of itself is a win, other benefits of keeping active, engaged, and connected include:  

  • Improved ability to do everyday things ​ 
  • Reduced impact of illness and chronic disease​ 
  • Enhanced mobility, flexibility, and balance
  • Improved sleep
  • Increased energy level
  • Reduced feelings of depression and stress
  • Increased feelings of happiness and self-confidence
  • Reduced risk of cognitive decline 
  • Increased mental adaptability and cognitive reserve 
  • Improved memory recall and problem-solving skills 
  • Improved concentration and attention to detail  

How Senior Living Can Help 

At home, particularly when living alone, it can be hard to stay as active, engaged, and connected as you’d like. From lack of opportunity to lack of motivation to lack of transportation to mobility challenges, and more, it’s tough, we get it! That’s why we created the Vivid Life program in our senior living communities. It’s composed of three parts: Vibrant Body, Vibrant Brain, and Vibrant Connections. Here’s what each entails:  

Vibrant Body We offer amenities such as a state-of-the-art fitness center, a pool, walking trails, gardening opportunities, and even a dog park to help you stay active. A sample of activities includes:  

  • Walking club – Daily walks at different outdoor locations using pedometers to measure steps. 
  • Yoga – At least once per week for gentle yoga, and once per week for mindful breathing. 
  • Fitness classes – At least two times per week using a variety of hand weights, resistance bands, and circuit-type exercises. 
  • Tai Chi – At least once per week with a live instructor. 
  • Non-traditional exercise – Dancing, gardening, etc. at least two times per week. 
  • Physical games and sports – Golf, putting, bowling, croquet, bocce, and ping pong available daily with organized events one to two times per week. 

Vibrant Brain We offer monthly calendars filled with classes, events, creative arts, and enrichment opportunities to help keep you engaged. A sample of activities includes: 

  • Visiting lecture series – Twice per month with topics such as cultural, historical, local interest, career-oriented, etc. 
  • Creative art series – At least one per week with a theme that runs 3-6 weeks, such as poetry writing, storytelling, painting, digital photography, etc. 
  • Learning series – At least three times per month with an emphasis on learning something new such as foreign language, sign language, technology, hobbies, etc. 
  • Games – At least one time per week and may include poker, bridge, Scrabble, etc. 
  • Mindfulness – A meditation class once per week and gratitude discussion group twice monthly. 
  • Church service – At least once a week through visits by local churches. 
  • Stress reduction – At least once per month class that offers deep breathing exercises, nature walks, music appreciation, spa-type treatments, etc. 

 Vibrant Connections We offer resident-led clubs, social events, outings and volunteer opportunities for any interest to help you stay connected. A sample of activities includes: 

  • Outings – At least twice per month and may include going to concerts, art shows, museum visits, theatre productions, etc. 
  • Intergenerational programming – At least once per month and focuses on building relationships between young adults/children and residents. 
  • New resident welcome party – At least once per month to formally introduce all new residents, and includes ice breakers, social games, etc. to encourage connection. 
  • Philanthropic program – At least once per month provide residents the opportunity to give back to the community, such as volunteering for a local food bank or pet shelter. 
  • Resident-led clubs – May include game clubs, professional clubs, common interests, etc. that meet at least monthly.  

What’s more, it’s all right outside your door (or transportation is provided offsite) and all in a supportive environment with home maintenance, housekeeping, and restaurant-style dining freeing your time to make it even easier to stay active, engaged, and connected. 

Learn more about Vitality Living’s Vivid Life programs. Or find a Vitality Living community near you today to schedule a tour. 

blog-family-decision-guide

 

The transition from a home you’ve known for many years to a new senior living community can be emotional. Older adults moving to new surroundings may experience a variety of feelings ranging from excitement to sadness. It’s important to remember that this reaction is perfectly normal.

The key to making a smooth transition to senior living is accepting those feelings and taking steps to ease into your new life.

Calm Uncertainty About the Move by Talking it Out

Moving to a new home is a major change for people of all ages. For an older adult who’s making a transition from home to senior living, there’s an added layer of concern. Some fears may arise because of persistent myths about senior living. Talking it out can help.

And for adult children, there’s also a layer of concern about a parent’s move to senior living. Caregivers may experience apprehension, guilt, and uncertainty themselves. Again, these feelings are natural and it helps to talk through them.

Steps You Can Take to Ease the Transition to Senior Living

Moving to a completely new environment can be overwhelming. Encouraging your senior loved one to share their feelings with family members can be helpful. Another good way to make the transition go more smoothly is to get to know the new community before moving day arrives.

Here are four ways to do just that:

  1. Go for Another Tour. First and foremost, you should tour any community you’re considering for your new home. Ideally, this is done during the decision-making stage. But it helps to visit again and spend more time there after the decision to move has been made. Older adults might find the physical plant of their new community overwhelming. Visiting and getting to know their way around a little before moving day can help reduce anxiety.
  2. Attend Activities and Events. One aspect of senior living that many new residents look forward to is access to a wide range of activities and special events. Check the weekly calendar at your senior loved one’s new community and choose a few programs you can attend together. Then call the community to let them know the two of you would like to join in the fun!
  3. Go for Lunch or Dinner. Getting to know a few residents will also help make the transition from home to senior living a little less intimidating. And what better way to get to know the new neighbors than to go for lunch – or maybe even dinner? Meals tend to be very social occasions in senior living communities!
  4. Plan Ahead. Before moving day, sit down with a team member at the new community to review what events and activities are planned for the first few weeks after your senior loved one’s move. Whether it’s a Yoga for Seniors class or a trip to an art museum, there’s something for everyone. And helping your senior loved one connect with those activities can ease feelings of loneliness after the transition.

    You can also set up a visitor schedule for loved ones. This will help ensure that your family member has a familiar, friendly face to visit with each day. And avoid having too many guests some days and none on other days.

You Don’t Have to Make the Transition Alone

If you’re currently in the process of exploring the options for your new chapter in life or for a senior loved one’s next step, we can help. The experts at Vitality Senior Living are available to answer your questions and help allay your concerns. Call us at (615) 538-3200 or contact us online.

senior living options
Vitality Living half Blossom
Skip to content