The Science of Aging Well: How Your Beliefs Affect Your Health
Thankfully, assisted living empowers older individuals living with mobility challenges who need additional support. A reputable assisted living facility offers personalized care that accommodates your mobility and other needs. However, you must properly prepare for the transition.
Find the right facility, declutter and downsize, and properly plan the moving process, and you’ll be adequately prepared to move into an assisted living facility.
Give Yourself Time to Find Your Ideal Assisted Living Community
Make sure you’re choosing an assisted living facility that helps you come as close to your ideal living situation as possible. Give yourself time to find the place that is ideal for your needs and preferred lifestyle.
Of course, you want a facility that can accommodate your mobility disability. Keep in mind that there is a connection between disabilities and mental health issues. So, consider your mental health needs and the resources the facility offers for those as well.
Also, think about your lifestyle. For instance, do you exercise regularly to ease the symptoms associated with your mobility challenges? In that case, you’ll want to look for a facility that prioritizes health and fitness.
Another critical thing to consider is cost. According to Consumer Affairs, “Assisted living costs an average of $4,300 per month.” Thoroughly audit your finances and define your budget to see if assisted living is affordable for you.
Once you have a list of everything you want and need in an assisted living community, start researching potential matches. Visit as many communities as you can, develop relationships with the staff and residents, and ask the questions you need to make a final decision.
Declutter and Downsize
As much as you may want to, you can’t take everything with you to your assisted living community. This is especially true for those coming from a large home. Decluttering and downsizing are crucial for a few reasons:
- Reduces your moving costs
- Lessens the load you have to move
- Makes unpacking more manageable
It’s a good idea to create a downsizing plan. Map out how you’ll attack the decluttering process while being mindful of your limited mobility. See how you can donate or sell unwanted items. And consider using a moving company that specializes in downsizing to help you pack, move, and store items efficiently.
Plan the Moving Process
In addition to having a plan for decluttering your current home and downsizing, you’ll want to plan the moving process. Safety is the main priority when moving with limited mobility. The last thing you want to do is hurt yourself doing more than you should in the move.
Instead, account for your accessibility needs during the moving process. Use resources created for older adults living with disabilities, like those from federal and state services and charity organizations, to ensure moving is affordable and seamless.
Creating a moving checklist is also a good idea. Define what you want to accomplish in the months leading up to, the week of, during, and after your move. You can check each task off as you complete it to stay organized.
It can sometimes feel like the needs of individuals living with limited mobility are overlooked in the moving process. But when you’re moving to the right place, like an assisted living facility that’s prepared for your accommodations, and vocalizing and planning for what you’ll need in the process, you can ensure the process goes smoothly.
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