You may be feeling nervous or overwhelmed about the newest chapter of your life – it’s completely normal to wonder about making the adjustment to senior living. Worry no more. We hope to show you some simple ways to ease the transition and make your new apartment feel like home. Start with these steps to bring touches of your personality and style into your apartment, which will in turn help you to feel more comfortable right from the start.
Adding Special Touches To Your New Home
- Choose a community that makes you feel at home.
Look for welcoming staff and friendly residents when you are touring different senior living communities. Their interactions can tell you a lot about the community and whether it’s the right fit. - Check community guidelines. The next important step after you’ve found the ideal community is to look into any rules or recommendations that your new community has about making changes to your apartment. If you know of any restrictions up front, you’ll be able to plan how to make your apartment as comfortable as possible.
- Determine what furniture to use. Use your selected floor plan and square footage to measure your furniture and decide what pieces will best fit in your new space. You can also decide if you want any new furniture once you move in – multi-functional pieces are especially useful.
- Reflect your personality in your décor. If moving into a smaller space, you’ll most likely need to downsize your decorative pieces while still bringing in your individual style – and being careful not to clutter your space. Whether using familiar décor from your former home or choosing a fun new theme or design, be creative and make your new home your own masterpiece!
- Add photos and other memories. Every home needs special keepsakes to make it unique and you will definitely want to include personal mementos in your new home. Framed photos of family, friends and personal mementos can also serve as conversation starters with new neighbors.
- Take part in opportunities around the community. The most important part of feeling at home in your new community is getting to know the other residents and staff. You can do this by dining in common areas with other residents, joining community activities and getting to know your neighbors. At Highpoint, everyone is welcoming and looks forward to meeting new residents.
- Keep in touch. Since we are often “homesick” for people, not necessarily places or things, be sure to stay in communication with friends and family outside of your new community. Invite them to visit once you’re settled in your new apartment and offer to show them around — and don’t forget to introduce them to all your new friends and neighbors!
- Leave room for new memories. Once you are settled into your new community, you’ll be sharing new experiences with friends. You may want to spruce up your apartment with some new décor from art class, make a door decoration to hang out front or add new photos to your collection. Remember: the more involved you become in your new home, the more at home you will feel.
It’s natural to feel a little out of place in a new setting, but the team at Highpoint is always here to do whatever it takes to help you have fun and feel at ease. Once you’ve put these tips into action, it will only be a matter of time until living at our beautiful new senior living community feels just like home.