Growing up and getting older isn’t necessarily “fun” but it is a necessary aspect of our life. Its even harder when you are witnessing your parents going through that shift and change. Its even harder to be the child that has to navigate those changes and make those decisions on behalf of your parents. The whole process can be emotionally charges, logistically complex, and overall - just absolutely overwhelming.

From navigating the details of downsizing to ensuring their new space is both comfortable and function, the process takes careful planning, and sensitivity to the emotional stress it can bring. Luckily, our sweet clients made the decision to bring our team in to help with the transition! In this blog, we will recap the details of supporting the family through the transition, and highlight the steps take make an assisted living apartment both functional and comfortable for the aging couple.

Step 1: Unpacking & Getting settled

Moving to a new location, or even a new city can cause its own emotional stress and anxiety. Giving your family a settled apartment quickly and efficiently can help make the whole process go over smoothly and help them get into their normal routine fast. We arrived at the assisted living facility just as soon as the movers had moved all the boxes and furniture into the apartment. While the family was working through the onboarding process of the new community, our goal was to take the first 60 - 90 minutes and get as much as possible unpacked and settled as quickly as possible. It created a little bit of a mess with a tiny apartment and 4 organizers and lots of boxes but after the first hour, all boxes had been unpacked and broken down. About 70% of the items had found their permanent home with in the apartment.

Our team’s top tips for Unpacking:

Prioritize the essentials first - such as bedding, toiletries, clothing, medications, and kitchen essentials for immediate comfort and familiarity.
Remain hyper-aware of the families emotional needs during that time. Provide reassurance, support, and patience as they learn to settle into their new home.
Remove all excess trash, debris, and empty boxes quickly to make room in the small area. (Side note: you may need to coordinate with the facility to dispose of a large amount of trash without disrupting the alarms, back doors, or available dumpster space they have access to!)

step 2: Declutter & Downsize

Once we had everything unpacked and all trash removed, we asked the family if there were any things that needed to be decluttered. We went through each area with a systemized approach making sure they were only keeping the things that they truly wanted, needed, and would use. They ended up not getting rid of much at all but this gave us a chance to show them all the areas we had unpacked and where things were placed. This also gave us the chance to make any necessary tweaks or adjustments for things we placed that they wanted elsewhere or somewhere less accessible.

Our team’s top tips for downsizing:

Make careful consideration for sentimental or family heirloom items. We want our clients to know how to let go of things WITHOUT letting go of any meaningful possessions.
Keep and utilize furniture that can be multipurpose, space saving, or items that have additional storage space.
Keep items that are needed but less frequently used or needed, tucked away or stored up high to maximize the amount of space available within the apartment.

Step 3: Creating specialized functionality

Our final and most important part of this specific project was to make sure things were just “organized” but especially FUNCTIONAL. We collaborated with the family to optimize the available space for accessibility — where should the walkers be stored when not in use? Can the wheelchair get through the furniture with easy and space? Can they reach everyday needed items from a sitting position due to a fall risk? Every detail, from the placement of grab bars to the everyday items need to be carefully considered to promote independence AND safety.

Our team’s top tips for creating organized functionality in an assisted living:

Use organizing products to maximize space while being mindful of safety accommodations - these adhesive shower racks were the PERFECT solution to storing shampoo and soap bottles, without them having to be on the floor where they could been a trip hazard or fall hazard.
Have some extra extension cords on hand. The apartment ended up not having lots of available electric outlets so we added surge protector power strips and extension cords to give them available outlets for phone chargers, hearing aid plug ins, humidifier, and area lamps for the apartment!
Add command hooks! Command hooks can be a great option to utilizing vertical wall space where things can be stored without having them clutter the apartment or be a fall hazard on the floor. Command hooks can be used for towels, robe hooks, purses, you could even throw one on the wall for some “clirty” clothes! (If you aren’t familiar with “clirty” clothes, those are clothes that are not clean, but not yet dirty enough to be washed yet. Think of pajamas or even some lounge clothes you change into in the evening!)
Another item we added that helped was adding a simple whiteboard! This was the communication center for parents or grandparents to make notes, add to the shopping list, and notate any upcoming doctors appointments!

Overall, moving aging parents or grandparents into an assisted living is a HUGE life transformation that required lots of care, strategic thinking, empathy, patience, and consideration. Being able to help reduce the stress and chaos associated with moves and organizing problems associated can empower independence and confidence with those who will be living in the assisted living. By prioritizing their needs and wants, we can create organized, functional, and comfortable spaces that will lead to a successful transition of your loved ones to an assisted living facility.

Having a family member that is in the process of downsizing or transitioning to an assisted living facility? We would love to help make the transition easy and simple as possible. You can always to reach out to us HERE and chat further about how best we can help!

Project Recap: Moving aging Parents into an assisted Living