Assisted Living, Moving In & Moving On
One of the hardest things to do is to Move On when your loved one moves to assisted living, skilled nursing, or memory support. I know, I have walked that path. You tend to want to stay with them 24/7, but that is not healthy for you. For one thing, the reason they have moved to assisted living is that it’s become too difficult to care for them at home. You may have been up half the night, doing laundry from incontinence, or listening to the same stories & complaints for months. So now it’s your time to let someone else do the hard part for awhile.
Don’t be afraid to give yourself a break. Leave them alone a few hours each day and let them adjust to the staff and to their new living arrangements. Then try missing a day or two so you can catch up on the things that fell between the cracks while you were caring for them at home. It’s time to catch up on paperwork and it’s time to catch up on rest.
Your loved one will relax into their new home sooner and you will begin the long steady process of finding your way back to your normal. Take a class, go shopping alone, or attend a movie with a friend. It won’t happen overnight, but in time you’ll both feel better about your time together. You will be able to continue to enjoy that time.
