Settling into a retirement home can be challenging, especially if you’ve never been to the place.
You can feel nervous about the transition to a new environment, a new neighborhood to explore, new people, to meet, and a range of activities to explore.
However, this is normal, just like a new college student can feel about their new environment.
You need to keep an open, positive mindset and understand that it’s a simple lifestyle change, and you have different choices at your disposal. You also need a curious spirit to get you going.
In this article, we want to help you make your transition to your retirement home positive and seamless with helpful and practical tips.
Before we move to the tips of moving to a retirement home, let’s first understand what a retirement home is.
What Is A Retirement Home?
A retirement home, or a retirement residence, is a house or flat in a block or group designed for seniors or old and retired people.
It’s designed for seniors who wish to maintain their “home” lifestyles while also experiencing on-site or ongoing care and support.
Focused on independent living and flexibility, retirement homes offer many choices to the residents. You can choose to live a fully independent lifestyle, have some personalized care and services, or a mixture of both.
In a retirement home, just like in your home, you’ll have your suite, choose your food or meals, create your schedule, choose how you spend your time, and can even come and go as you please.
Retirement homes are not age-specific. You can live in a retirement home as early as your 60s or live with the majority in their 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s, and beyond.
You’ll spend your time with your community and can decide whether to spend your time alone or with the people around you, exercise classes, outings, and activities.
Types Of Retirement Homes To Choose From
A retirement home is a broad term. Within its definition, there are different specialized categories, including:
Independent Living Apartments
Some seniors who opt to move into retirement homes when they’re still strong and do not need personal care may prefer independent lifestyles.
They’ll live with other seniors who are also still strong as they take advantage of community activities such as planned events, field trips, on-premise projects, and shopping excursions.
Subsidized Senior Housing
Since one-third of elderly people in the U.S. experience difficulties finding a place to live, the Government provides subsidized senior housing in Government-sanctioned townhomes, apartments, etc., for low-income individuals.
Retirement Communities
These master-planned facilities promote independent living like in Riverview Retirement Community with active social scenes while allowing individuals to live in apartments, townhouses, private condos, or stand-alone structures.
Retirement homes use age (55+, 65+, 70+, etc.) and income (monthly fees) or life insurance to define retirement communities.
Continuing (Ongoing) Care Retirement Communities
On-site or continuous retirement communities provide both present and future support needs for senior citizens.
For example, they provide a balance of retirement and nursing homes where individuals can find health and medical care together with senior resident care.
Nursing Home
Also known as skilled nursing facilities, nursing homes are facilities that provide 24-hour personalized care for seniors who can’t live independently.
Nursing homes have trained nurses and medical professionals who provide specialized care to seniors living with conditions or who need special attention.
They help the seniors with their daily activities such as laundry, bathing, eating, meal preparation, and housekeeping.
Assisted Living Programs (ALPs)
Seniors who need personal care but don’t want to go into nursing homes can opt for ALPs.
These programs source room, skilled nursing services, board, and case management services from an outside agency. Most ALP programs accept Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Medicaid, and home relief, recipients.
These categories are available because each senior person has a unique set of needs. The range of retirement housing options also varies on levels of care needed and offered to ensure that seniors live in comfort.
Tips for Settling in Your Retirement Home
After knowing what you need from a retirement home or community, and selecting one, here are the tips that can guide you when moving into your home:
Research & Get To Know Your New Neighborhood
Your neighborhood is a key factor in determining how you settle into your retirement home.
If you’re moving into a new location, you need to try and understand the neighborhood before the day arrives. Find out about the local amenities and where they are to help you feel part of your new community.
Find answers to questions like what the town is like, the environment, are they friendly people, what types of weather they have, and if it’s a safe place.
If the retirement home is within your current location, try and uncover new places you’ve never been to before and plan to make most of them unless you’re in an assisted living system.
Find Out More About Your New Home
Understand what your new home offers, types of meals, events, and activities that happen in a week which residents are welcome to join, or walks and book clubs.
You might find activities you like, such as sharing with your residents your hobby or new activities you can try out.
Make The Most Of The Orientation
Moving into a retirement home isn’t always easy, but be assured that you’ll get plenty of support both from the residents’ staff and fellow residents.
The Resident Services Manager will give you orientation as you settle in your new home. This is your opportunity to understand the home, where to get help, the amenities such as gym, daily programming, meal times, and more.
During this time, ask questions to understand better and communicate any nervous feelings you may have to get immediate support.
Unpack And Personalize Your Space
Unpack your personal belongings as soon as you move into your space. Make your suit feel like home by putting up your favorite photos of family and friends and displaying your art and favorite possessions.
This will make you comfortable as your new home will not feel different from your home. If unpacking is too much for you, try to find help from the staff or ask fellow residents to help you unpack as you discover how they settled.
Attend New Resident Meetings
Most retirement homes have new resident meetings weekly or monthly. These meetings offer a great way to review your orientation, available amenities and help you settle.
They also offer you a way to know and connect with other new residents like you who might be having the same hobbies and interests as you and establish instant new friendships.
These meetings also offer you the chance to know the staff and who to ask for help and support around.
Mingle With Older Residents
Residents who’ve stayed in the community for some time will help you know the ins and outs of the facility and life at the residence, including the community.
Lean on these older residents to help you familiarize yourself with your new home. You can sit with them at lunch, join their activities, and serve dinner with them because they’ll show you many things around.
Join Programs, Activities & Get Involved
Find and join activities and programs, including social and physical activities that interest you in the new home. It’s important to take advantage of all the programs available to help you settle into your retirement home.
From cribbage, book clubs, billiards, arts and crafts, reading blogs, fitness classes, and recreational outings, you’ll find plenty to explore.
Participating in various activities helps you strike new relationships with others who share similar interests and offer you an easy, natural way to settle into your new home.
Speak Up When Necessary
If you don’t like something or if something is bothering you about your new home, don’t be shy to share your dislikes and concerns.
Understand that this is your home now, and you need to be comfortable. The staff also want you to be happy.
Speaking up can help them know what you need and how you want things around you to feel. You may also need to be respectful and accommodative towards their standards and procedures.
Invite Family And Friends
Since settling and transitioning can take time, invite your friends and family to your new home and show them around.
Let them be part of your transition and memory care. Let them know the life around your new home and how they can come around whenever they feel like it.
It’s a great way to find comfort.
Stay Patient And Positive
Settling into a new place or home will take time, sometimes months. Be patient, stay positive, give yourself time to adjust during the transition, and don’t force yourself to settle or belong.
With a positive attitude, you’ll be comfortable in your new home within no time.
Endnote
Your retirement home is beyond a cluster of walls and windows. It’s your chapter of lifestyle as a senior, offering your independence over both your needs and lifestyle and providing your close care and support.
Making the most of your new retirement home needs you to settle and find comfort.
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