It isn’t often that our loved ones go into residential care willingly and so making the decision to move them into a care home can be an emotionally-straining process. Whether you’re looking for the best care homes in Rugby, or you’re looking for something a little more rural, choosing the right care home is only half of the battle. Once you’ve chosen the perfect residency, it’s now time to prepare your loved one – and yourself – for their move. Here are our tips.
Organise The Support You’ll Both Need In Advance
If your loved one is going into nursing care, it could be worth having their GP or a social worker on hand throughout the entire process. From breaking the news, to communicating with the nursing home to give them the full run-down of everything that’s needed for their care, professionals can take off a lot of the stress you might feel like you’re facing alone. Similarly, keeping family and friends around to support both you and your loved one on the day and afterwards can make the entire move much easier. You aren’t going to be able to be by your loved ones side every moment for the first few days, but by organising people to visit when you can’t, your loved one won’t be left alone as they settle.
Personalise Your Loved One’s Room
If the care home allow personalisation of a resident’s room, then take full advantage. The more like home you can make the room seem, the more comfortable your loved one is going to be. Bring their most treasured belongings, their blankets and pillows, entertainment and frankly anything that might make them feel more at home while away from it.
Write A History Of Your Loved One For The Residency
This is especially useful if your loved one is suffering from dementia, but giving the care home a ‘life story’ can help them with how they care for them. By knowing more about how they grew up, how they lived before moving and everything in between will give them a reference to go off of to better understand anything your loved one says and give better chance at holding a valuable conversation to make them feel included and comfortable.
Develop Relationships With The Staff At The Home
Developing a relationship with the staff at the home whom are responsible for your loved one’s care will not only ensure a comfortable experience for all, but will also encourage a much better level of communication. The home may be experts in medical care, but you are the expert in your loved one and giving them all of the information they need about how to care for them will make the entire move much smoother. You know their quirks, their likes and dislikes, what you can and can’t do – pass on your wisdom!
Be Prepared To Feel Guilty
You’re going to feel guilty, no matter how much your loved one needs the care. You’ll feel guilty the moment you make the decision, and it will travel with you throughout the entire process of preparing and moving them into the home. Don’t hold onto feelings of guilt too much. It’s okay to feel this, but make sure you get support from family and friends to help you through it and if you feel like you need extra support, there are plenty of helplines available to provide exactly that.
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