Overcoming Anxiety About Moving to Assisted Living
Moving is always a process that can enhance a person’s anxiety. This can especially be true when a person is moving into assisted living. With this noted, there are some important strategies that you can employ as a means of lowering the level of anxiety associated with moving into an assisted living facility. These include:
- Visit the assisted living community multiple times
- Hire a reputable packing company
- Hire a reputable moving company
- Talk to your loved ones often
- Focus on decorating your new home
- Talk to others who’ve moved into assisted living communities
- Seek professional support of anxiety is extensive or won’t lessen
Visit Assisted Living Community Multiple Times
A key way in which a person can reduce her anxiety about moving to an assisted living community is by becoming as familiar as possible with the center. A sure way in which a person can become more familiar with a particular facility is to visit it more than one time. By visiting an assisted living community multiple times, a prospective resident not only becomes more directly familiar with everything that is available at a particular community but will also experience a decrease in moving associated anxiety.
Consider having a meal or two at the facility before moving. In addition, plan on attending at least one event before moving into an assisted living facility.
Hire Reputable Packing Company
One area in which anxiety can rise when moving to an assisted living facility is in regard to packing for the move. There are now reputable packing companies in many communities across California and throughout the United States. These packing services can ensure that your property is securely and safely prepared and packed for being moved to your new residence.
In addition, these services also assist in unpacking at your new home in the assisted living community. You are able to avoid one of the more unpleasant aspects of moving.
Hire Reputable Moving Company
On a related note, the stress, anxiety, and apprehension associated with moving into an assisted living community can also be significantly reduced by hiring a reputable moving company. While some people consider engaging the services of family and friends to make a move – oftentimes to save money – what might be financially saved can be negatively offset by the challenges associated with a move not involving professionals.
Talk to Your Loved Ones Often
Talk to your trusted loved ones about your pending move. You very well may find that you experience a reduction in anxiety and overall stress if you regularly visit with people you trust. By expressing your concerns and apprehensions to others you may even be able to glean some guidance about the moving process that proves helpful and even calming.
Focus on Decorating Your New Home
Anxiety associated with moving to an assisted living community typically stems in part from the tasks that need to be accomplished, many of which are mundane, some of which are unpleasant and even challenging. Yes, these are all tasks that need to be addressed during the moving process. However, there are also more pleasant matters associated with transitioning to an assisted living community.
For example, you will have your own living space in the community. One way in which you likely can lower your anxiety is to focus on decorating your new home. Most people do find at least some degree of pleasure in working through how they will decorate a new living space.
Talk to Others Who’ve Moved Into Assisted Living Communities
Obviously, you are not the first person to experience anxiety and apprehension associated with a move to an assisted living community. This is a common experience and the emotions are understandable.
The reality is that anxiety oftentimes is fueled by a fear or concerns about the unknown. There undoubtedly remains a great deal about life in an assisted living community that you do now yet know. In the end, some of the questions you have won’t be answered until you begin this new phase of your life. With that said, you can learn more about assisted living by talking to people who have already made the move to this type of community. Odds are strong that talking to people who already live in an assisted living community will lessen your own anxiety and apprehension about your own transition to that type of residential experience.
Seek Professional Support if Anxiety Is Extensive or Won’t Lessen
It’s important to note that moving is ranked as one of the most stressful events in life. Arguably, a planned move to an assisted living community is even more stressful than the types of residential changes that occur earlier in life.
If the anxiety associated with moving to an assisted living community proves particularly problematic and doesn’t abate, consider seeking support from a therapist or counselor. This type of professional can provide assistance to you in dealing with move-related anxiety.