Transitioning to Assisted Living with Home Care

Posted: July 29, 2024

Moving into an Assisted Living or Memory Care community can be hard. It’s difficult for caregivers, but it can be even harder for the person making the move. Everything changes, from the details of their routine to the familiar faces that fill their days.

At Rhythms Home Care, we want to make this kind of move as easy as possible. We know that it is more than just changing a person’s physical location or getting their suitcases unpacked! That’s why we use an innovative transition approach. Instead of making the shift all at once, we invite a home care caregiver to go with them to their new community.

If you haven’t heard of this, we don’t blame you! It’s just not very common. We believe, though, that it’s the best way to help people move into our community and do it well. Here’s what you need to know to decide if this approach is right for you and your loved one.

What Makes the Transition Hard?

So many things can make transitioning to Assisted Living or Memory Care difficult. Many older adults have envisioned themselves living independently forever, so the very fact that they have to make this kind of transition goes against the future they had imagined for themselves.

On top of that, changing routines is hard. It’s difficult for anyone, but it can be especially hard for older adults with memory difficulties. If their routine helps them remember what to do and when to do it, not having that can be incredibly disorienting.

Their familiar faces are often gone, too. It doesn’t matter how gentle and loving our care partners are. If their faces are unfamiliar, it can feel disorienting to an older adult to suddenly have them around.

The Rhythms Home Care Solution

At Rhythms Home Care, we’ve developed a new way to transition older adults to Assisted Living or Memory Care that makes it easier. While it doesn’t remove the problems entirely, it lessens them and gives your loved one the support they need to transition well.

When someone transitions to Rhythms Home Care, we recognize that they don’t make the switch all at once. Their body may relocate, but they will need some time to fully embrace the change. During this transitional period, a caregiver they know and trust can come with them to the new community.

This allows them to shift into their new environment and new routine slowly, and to be introduced to the things that are different by someone they trust. They won’t have to feel like it’s more than they can handle, because their home care caregiver will come to the community consistently.

A caregiver can come until your loved one is ready to be without them. Generally, caregivers slowly spend fewer and fewer hours at the community, until one day your loved one is comfortable there on their own.

The Benefits of Transitioning the Rhythms Home Care Way

Helping your loved one transition with a known caregiver by their side has a number of benefits. The ones we see most often are:

• Transitions are easier and faster
• Older adults experience less anxiety, worry, or stress
• People have time to get to know their new caregivers before they have to rely on them
• Seniors have someone who they can ask questions to or who can explain new things in familiar words and ways
• Clients get to keep parts of their routine that are vital to their well being until they are ready to do things differently
• Older people end up adjusting better to life in Assisted Living or Memory Care

Learn More About Rhythms Home Care

If transitioning your loved one to Assisted Living or Memory Care this way appeals to you, reach out to us at Rhythms Home Care today. We would love to talk to you, answer your questions, and let you see what our communities are like. We want you to make the best choice for your aging loved one, and we are here to help you do that.