Tips on how to settle in to your new retirement home

If you’ve recently moved in or will soon be moving into a retirement home, then it’s a massive step and not always an easy one. It can be difficult to adjust initially as it’s likely to be a completely alien environment to you. However, here are some tips on how to settle in to your new retirement home and hopefully make the process a whole lot easier…

Go for plenty of visits beforehand

If you’re yet to move in to your care home then it’s important you visit several times before your moving in date. Obviously you will go and look over the place to make sure it’s somewhere you want to live, but the more you go, the more likely it is you’ll feel at home when you do move in. You may even get to know some of the staff and other residents, so there will be some friendly faces when you first get there.

Organize a visiting rota with your family

One of the hardest things about moving into a retirement home is that people often feel as if they won’t see as much of their family. This is hard on both sides as there’s a good chance your family will also find the whole thing difficult. Therefore, draw up a visiting rota so you all know who’s visiting and when. This will make it easier for everyone as there’ll be no wondering when someone’s going to turn up and it’ll give you something to look forward to.

Get stuck in with activities

The vast majority of retirement homes have a long list of different activities in which you can take part, and if you want to start feeling at home then you should see what takes your fancy and try them out. If you take a look at these Herefordshire care homes with Extra Care you can see the wide range of facilities and activities on offer, including craft room, fitness suite, indoor bowling green, library, IT suite, and more. Obviously, different care homes around the country will have different facilities but most should offer something you’re interested in.

Talk to people

As well as getting involved with activities, it’s imperative that you talk to people. It might sound like your first day at school again, but the more people you talk to then the more likely you are to make new friends, which will help massively in settling in. You’ll be able to talk to the other residents as well as the carers and other stuff and even any volunteers who work there. You’ll never be stuck for someone to have a chat with! If you want to chat to a third party in confidence, then Age UK are an excellent charity with plenty of people to talk to.

Dress your room up a little

Obviously you can’t totally redecorate your room but you will still probably be able to but a bit of a personal touch on things. If you have any favourite ornaments, photographs and other bits and bobs at home then you should be able to bring those with you and make your room feel a little more like home.