For many of your loved ones, moving into an assisted living community is a significant step. Your loved ones may experience self-isolation, depression or loneliness as a result of their new surroundings and living arrangements, as well as changing routines and strange faces, or they may lose touch with the things in life that make them happy.
Some of your loved ones will not be able to maintain the social engagements that keep them cognitively, emotionally, and physically well if they do not intentionally go out to develop new personal relationships.
As such, our article provides suggestions on how to make friends in an assisted living community – which is vital for your loved ones.
Look for Common Ground
Attending gatherings or residing in areas where individuals with similar interests congregate is always the ideal location to hunt for new acquaintances. Even if you are shy or worried about fitting in, joining a hobby-focused organization like a book club, knitting circle, or scrapbooking group may help you share your interests with others. Attending movie or television screenings rather than viewing alone in a private environment is another approach to find areas of mutual interest.
The majority of assisted living communities include excursions. Visiting a grocery shop, a local event, or a religious institution in a group may offer opportunities for conversation, once more bringing people together based on shared interests or experiences. Being isolated within the community at all times or only traveling alone might reduce opportunities for making new acquaintances by limiting exposure to other people.
Support groups are provided by certain assisted living communities for various illnesses, life events, or problems. Community is a terrific method to get through the challenging aspects of aging and life, such as the death of a spouse, sustaining sobriety, or living with dementia, even though this might feel incredibly private. Your loved ones should go at their own risk and assess their comfort level with a degree of vulnerability. Since the participants in these situations encourage one another while also sharing their own tales, the connections formed in them have the potential to be profound and enduring.
Attend Welcoming Events
Making friends in a new environment may be difficult, which is something that many assisted living communities are aware of. As a result, they organize activities for newcomers that encourage the development of relationships. Attending these activities is beneficial, even though your loved ones may feel a little anxious, worn out, or overwhelmed by the journey. They range in duration and topic matter, but they are useful for starting conversations, getting information, and learning about what activities are offered.
Know Your Resources
One option to get access to social services is to speak with the employees of an assisted living community. straightforward inquiries such, “I’m interested in [some activity]. Who in this room shares my interest and would not mind if I asked them questions or had a conversation with them about it? ” or “Who among us is the first to welcome visitors?” This demonstrates a desire to interact with others and highlights the importance of social contact to maintaining good health.
