How to Help Your Parent Overcome Their Fear of Assisted Living

Preparing Mom or Dad for their move to an assisted living community is an exciting chapter, especially knowing they will enjoy plenty of opportunities for socialization and engagement once they move in! However, that doesn’t mean this change will come without difficult emotions, especially if your parent is uncertain about their future. 

This process might be overwhelming for your parent as they begin to downsize their current home and bring up many emotions that leave them apprehensive about leaving behind their memories and comfort in the place they’ve resided for decades. 

Recognizing and helping your parent overcome these emotions is essential to a positive transition into senior living. The Woodlands at Canterfield, a luxury assisted living community in West Dundee, IL, is sharing tips to help you through this journey. 

Understanding Their Feelings

Recognizing your parent is reluctant to move into an assisted living community is the first step toward an important conversation that must be had prior to their move-in day. The only way you can help your parent overcome this fear and uncertainty is to take the time to understand where these fears are coming from.

Sit down with Mom or Dad and ensure them that their feelings are valid, especially before they take such a significant new step in their life. Ask them open-ended questions so they can speak openly about what’s causing their reluctance. 

Provide Reassurance

Once you’ve gotten to the bottom of your parents’ fears and uncertainties, empathize with them and provide the comforting reassurance they need to feel ready for this new journey. 

Remember that many older adults grew up during a time when senior living communities weren’t as active or engaging as they are today. Because of this, many still harbor negative connotations and misconceptions about senior living communities. This is especially true for assisted living, which many confuse with skilled nursing homes. These two forms of senior living are very different, and it’s important to remind your parent of this if their fears are relative to any myths or misconceptions surrounding assisted living. 

Remind Mom or Dad of the positive aspects of their new living situation. Highlight the convenience of on-site care and support with activities of daily living, connection and relief from household responsibilities. Find a list of upcoming events and activities at their community, or take things a step further and ask their chosen community if you and your parent can enjoy a meal or community event. This way, your loved one is able to witness the enrichment that they’ll be able to participate in after they move in.

Get Familiar with Their New Community

Once you’ve started to make arrangements, you’ll both need to get familiar with their new community to ensure that move-in day goes smoothly and your parent can settle in with confidence.

If you visit the community beforehand, why not ask if you can tour an available senior apartment to get a better idea of the space? Or ask staff members and residents questions about daily life in the community. This is also an excellent way for your parent to get to know their new neighbors before they move in and calm any remaining fears they may have.

In addition, your involvement and presence are still crucial even after Mom or Dad has moved into their senior living community. Regular visits and communication can help them feel connected and alleviate any fears they may have about “being forgotten.” Participate in community events and share meals together when possible.

At The Woodlands at Canterfield, our distinctive style and unmatched services put our assisted living community in West Dundee, IL, above the rest. Our assisted living services have been reimagined to provide a nurturing environment in a luxurious setting. No matter your parent’s ideal lifestyle, they’ll discover a place that feels just like home. In our vibrant community, your parent will find everything that they’ve been searching for!

We invite you to experience The Woodlands at Canterfield’s exceptional amenities and world-class hospitality for yourself by scheduling your tour today!