July 30, 2024

Settling In: How Brookdale Helps Make Your Move to Senior Living With Ease and Comfort

About Brookdale Senior Living

Brookdale Senior Living offers multiple care levels for seniors in more than 600 communities nationwide. Brookdale helps you find the right care plan for yourself or your loved one. With amenities such as transportation services, salons and private dining rooms and activities such as gardening, fitness classes and trivia nights Brookdale caters to a wide range of interests and needs.

Choosing to move in to a senior living community can be a difficult and emotional decision, especially if you’re moving from home care or the hospital. For seniors and their family members, a smooth and supportive move is paramount. At Brookdale Senior Living, we take a holistic approach to help make this transition easier. We do this by developing individualized care plans, working with your healthcare providers and offering continuous support. Our hope is that you feel at home and have a sense of belonging at Brookdale within the first 90 days of your move.

Navigating Your First 90 Days in a Senior Living Community

Moving to a senior living community is more than just a change of address — it is a significant life event that requires planning and emotional support. Whether the person transitioning from a hospital stay or home care is you or a loved one, the first 90 days in a senior living community are especially important. Here’s what to expect.

Adjusting to a new environment can feel overwhelming. The first few months are all about getting used to new surroundings, routines and people. It is normal to feel anxious, apprehensive or overwhelmed. The first 90 days are an opportunity to get comfortable in your new environment and start to establish new routines.
Your care team will want to get to know you. The care team has likely already conducted an assessment to understand your unique health needs and preferences, helping inform a care plan that is tailored just for you. But getting to know you on an individual and personal level is a process that can yield positive clinical and emotional benefits beyond what’s on the plan. Michael D. Watkins, the author of The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter (Harvard Business School Press, 2003), writes that, “The most important decisions you make in your first 90 days will probably be about people.” Although Watkins is talking about business and starting a new leadership position, his point applies to senior living as well: Getting to know the people in your environment can make a huge difference. It’s important to form good relationships with staff; when you trust those who provide your care, it can help make a significant difference in how comfortable and settled you feel. Additionally, joining activities and social events in your first 90 days can help you connect with fellow residents and feel more at home.
Your health and well-being will be closely monitored. Needs and preferences typically evolve and change, so during the first 90 days (and beyond), expect your care team to monitor your health and well-being to help determine whether adjustments need to be made to your care plan, and how they may assist in helping you transition into the community.

How Brookdale Offers Personalized Support Every Step of the Way

Whether you’re moving from a hospital stay or from home care, Brookdale’s approach helps facilitate a smooth and comforting transition, in the first 90 days and beyond. Brookdale’s team works closely with seniors and their families to understand their unique needs and preferences. This personalized approach helps create a welcoming environment that feels like home from the very beginning. Here’s how our process works.

1. We start with a personalized service assessment. Before you become a resident, Brookdale starts with a personalized service assessment. We look at a variety of factors — such as mobility, dietary restrictions and preferences, medications and diagnoses — in order to develop a personalized care plan that is specific to your health and well-being.

2. We help you find and engage in new activities. When you move to a Brookdale community, one of our resident engagement leaders will conduct a one-on-one interview to learn more about your interests and goals. We will take what we have learned and use it to connect you with other residents based on things you have in common. We want you to feel a sense of belonging, whether it’s through joining a book club with other fiction lovers, walking every day with outdoor enthusiasts or playing nine holes with fellow golfers.

3. We partner with your physicians to help monitor chronic conditions. Our associates follow evidence-based guidelines for managing chronic illnesses. Our treatment plans, made in partnership with your physicians, cover important services such as medication management, dietary guidelines and exercise routines.

4. We focus on preventive health. We prioritize your health and well-being through various preventive measures. We offer convenient on-site immunization clinics for vaccines, provide nutritious meals tailored to your dietary needs and preferences, and monitor your health needs to help keep you as healthy as possible.

Making the move to a senior living community is a significant step, but one that we hope to make feel as seamless and supportive as possible. When you choose Brookdale, you and your loved ones can rest assured that the transition to senior living will be handled with care, professionalism and support.

Learn More

Ready to explore senior living with Brookdale? Contact us today to schedule a personalized tour and discover how we can make the transition as seamless as possible.

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