When you have been living in your own home for many years, you will know every nook and cranny of the place. The familiarity of where certain appliances and furniture are gives you a sense of control over your life. In your own home, you know who are the neighbors living beside you and all the precious memories you have made in this home. However, now you are moving to assisted living in Chapel Hill, NC, a place very unfamiliar for you. You see many new faces and new appliances. You are unsure where the different appliances are. This may make you feel as though you are losing control of your life. If you or your loved ones are experiencing these feelings, you may be experiencing Relocation Stress Syndrome (RSS). RSS can cause symptoms like agitation, depression, loss of sleep and appetite, nausea and irritable bowel syndrome. There are many other symptoms that you or your loved ones can experience. Here are some tips you and your loved ones can try to prevent RSS when moving to assisted living in Chapel Hill, NC.
Time and Patience
Whenever you move to a new place and environment, it will require a lot of time and patience to adjust. Sometimes the move can cause confusion at first but with time, you will be able to slowly adjust to the new environment. This adjustment period usually takes about three to six months. To help ease the anxiety and RSS experienced by you or your loved ones, there is a dedicated team over at the assisted living in Chapel Hill, NC that will make this transition as smooth as possible. If the new resident is not able to adjust well, the team is able to provide more private care to assist in areas like reminders to take medications, doing the house chores and companionship. It is important that in the face of transition and changes, you are patient with your loved ones when they are doing their best to adjust. As family members, we can provide more encouragement and support through this period of time. We can check in on them more regularly by calling them every night. The support you show to your loved ones will help ease the stress and anxiety from the move.
Prepare for the Move
To prevent your loved ones from experiencing RSS, it is important to be well prepared for the move. Check in with your loved ones what kind of environment they prefer moving into. As a family member, we can check the available facilities and amenities the assisted living in Chapel Hill, NC offers before committing to an option. When considering which retirement community to move to, you should try to involve your loved ones as much as possible in the discussions or even bring them to visit the retirement community. Additionally, do not rush your loved ones into deciding which retirement community to commit to because at the end of the day, your loved ones will be the ones that are staying there for a long period of time. It is important to respect their decisions and understand where they are coming from.
