How to Prepare for the Transition to a Senior Living Community
As you age, adjustments or changes in your living situation become more complicated and often more difficult to make. Moving in and out of college dorms or apartments as a young adult could happen on a whim with very little impact on your sense of security or comfort. But as a senior adult, the same types of changes can feel earth shaking. Your physical abilities change, it becomes difficult to maintain a home, hard to learn new things and you might become stuck in your ways. When you’re dealing with these problems you tend to want to avoid thinking about change.
Maybe you’re worried about giving up control or feel embarrassed of what others think. You might even feel pressured into moving.
Sometimes, you can forget what freedom feels like. But the real problem is often with the way we define freedom and independence. Owning a house and living alone isn’t what signifies independence. Independence is about living, not about owning. Choosing to move from your home to a community that allows you to live a more fulfilling life should feel like freedom, not failure.
So, how can you prepare for the transition to a senior living community?
The Best Age to Explore Senior Living
Many of our residents wish they would have explored options and made a move years before they actually did it. Why is this? For a lot of mature adults, the idea of moving to an independent or assisted living community means less freedom. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
When you do proper research and find a community that works for your lifestyle, financial, and health needs, you aren’t left scrambling if something happens suddenly that requires you to move out of your home.
Finding a senior living community early can benefit your health as well. According to the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, older single people living alone are more likely to be lonely, which can contribute to a number of different mental and physical health complications, like dementia and even heart disease and high blood pressure.
Being part of a community and being surrounded by other individuals can be incredibly rewarding.
Familiarize Yourself with the Senior Living Community You’ve Chosen
If you’ve decided on a specific community, get acquainted with the staff, layout, residents, and services and amenities available to you. If you’re the loved one of a family member moving to independent or living, this applies to you too! Here are a few things to familiarize yourself with before moving:
Activities
Depending on what community you choose, there will likely be a lot of activities available to you. Whether it’s a theater outing, group fitness class, daily yoga, book club, or happy hour, there’s something for everyone (and plenty of opportunities to make friends)!
Surrounding Areas
The Aspenwood Company’s communities are located in unique locations with plenty of opportunities to explore the area and everything in it. With locations throughout Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina, there are no shortages of places to explore.
Other Residents
Life is what you make it in any senior living community. If you’re a people person, get to know your neighbors! You might find a new walking buddy, someone who is interested in the same hobbies as you, or even your new best friend.
Change Your Mindset
Moving to a senior living community of any kind is not a failure. In fact, it’s the opposite. Making the hard decision to move from your home can feel scary and paralyzing, but life can be so much richer once you finally make the decision.
Moving to a senior living community can help you feel young again and give you true freedom to live your life the way you want. More energy, time to pick up new hobbies, new friendships, pushing yourself like you never thought you could, peace as opposed to loneliness are just a few of the benefits you can experience making the transition to senior living.
Live Like You’re Young in an Aspenwood Community
Making the decision to move to a senior living community can be scary, especially if you feel pressured, embarrassed, or simply don’t like change. However, it could be a decision that makes life feel new and exciting, full of hope, with new sources of joy and inspiration.
Independence isn’t determined by what you own, it is determined by how you live. Moving to a senior living community provides mature adults with freedom; no more loneliness, isolation, chore after chore that needs to be done, or days wasted in front of the TV.
At The Aspenwood Company, we know mature adults want to live like you are young. Life gets richer and better as you age, and we believe that feeling should never end.
But it’s easy for adults to forget what freedom feels like. For doctors, artists, educators, and business owners, the things you’ve acquired on your life’s journey – your home and all the things you own – can become a weight that holds you in place.
You can pursue and experience freedom like never before. It’s time to experience the laughter, the energy, the activity, the friendly faces, and the caring people of The Aspenwood Company. It’s time to live like you are young.
Ready to start living like you’re young?