The decision has been made and an apartment is available! What to do now? The decision to move into an assisted living facility can be a time-consuming process. This likely would have included multiple visits to potential facilities, completing paperwork to be placed on a waiting list, requesting medical records for the potential facilities, etc. This has likely required a good amount of time, energy, and coordination on behalf of your loved one. While it would be great if the “heavy lifting” was done, there is still some work to be done!
The best way to think about moving into an assisted living apartment is to think of it as moving into an apartment in the community. As an example, Bethany’s apartments began as a blank slate. Each apartment is deep cleaned, re-painted, and like-new upon move-in. Therefore, each apartment is like a blank canvas ready for each resident’s personal touches to make the apartment as home-like as possible. In most cases, our residents will move their own furniture items into the apartment, hang their own pictures or artwork on the walls, and supply their own personal items to have that true home feel.
A move-in at Bethany begins with coordinating efforts with a moving team that we pay for as a welcome gift to our new residents. We have found that the most advantageous method is to have furniture moved in a day before the resident is formally admitted to the facility. This allows for a smoother transition upon their arrival on admission day. With the furniture in, more time can be spent with family putting finishing touches on the apartment and becoming comfortable in their new home. To prepare for this, we work with families to take measurements and utilize a diagram to ensure that the selected furniture pieces will fit appropriately in the space.
The furniture is often the obvious aspect of needed items for a move-in. However, there are some items to consider when developing a plan. Like an apartment in the community, residents will provide their own television, telephone, and other electronic devices. One benefit of Bethany, however, is that the services for these devices are included in the base cost. Therefore, there is no responsibility for the individual or family to work with an outside company for cable, internet, or telephone services! Additionally, individuals or families will bring in their own bedding, towels, and toiletries.
One differentiator of Bethany Assisted Living is that we do not have kitchenettes in our apartments. This means that residents will not need to pack kitchenware for their move. In developing our concept of assisted living, we recognized a concern associated with safe meal preparation and concern for proper nutrition. Therefore, we take care of all the meals and snacks! With that said, some residents opt to bring along a small refrigerator and/or microwave to supplement our meal offerings if desired.
While there will be individual-specific items to consider for a transition to assisted living, the above details are a great starting point for those who are through the hard part of selecting a facility and perhaps waiting for an apartment to become available! While every facility may be a little different in services provided, the above-mentioned list should be able to guide the transition and move-in process. Like with most big transitions, a common key to a successful move-in is the organization done beforehand. The time spent before the big day to organize the move has been shown to help ease the stress that can often be associated with a transition such as moving into an assisted living apartment!