24 February 2015
How to Prepare for Moving into a Care Home
Moving into a care home can be a big change not just for your loved one, but for the whole family too. It can be daunting to pack up one’s life and move into a new home, especially when you’ve had fond memories of living in your own home for many years. At Hallmark , we want to make moving into one of our care homes as smooth as possible, which is why we’ve put together this brief guide on how your loved one may want to prepare and what to bring with them.
Preparing To Move House
While preparing to move into a care home is likely a new experience for many, it can be easy to forget that it’s really no different to moving house. Just like moving house, you should let friends and family members know of your loved one’s address, as well as their service providers and healthcare providers.
You’ll want to ensure your loved one’s Optician, Dentist and GP have been notified, en suring all communication with them is forwarded on to their new home. Next, their pension provider and bank will need to be told about the change of address to ensure all financial details are up to date. Finally, one should inform utility advisors such as gas and electric companies, water companies and any other providers such as phone services, TV and internet.
What Should You Bring?
A lot of essential everyday items will be provided by your new Hallmark care home, however we always recommend bringing personal items along to help our residents settle in.
We recommend your loved one brings:
- Daytime clothes
- Pyjamas or night time clothes
- A dressing gown and slippers
- Socks or stockings
- Underwear
- Toiletries
- Prescription medicine
- Over the counter medicine
- An outdoor coat
- Outdoor shoes
All Hallmark care homes provide laundry services so there’s no need to worry about making other arrangements for cleaning clothes.
On top of this list, your loved one may wish to bring their own mobility aid, such as a wheelchair, walking frame or rollator. Mobile scooters can also be brought for use outdoors around the grounds or for excursions out of the home.
At Hallmark, we encourage residents to personalise their rooms with perhaps a favourite chair or bureau and lots of photographs and pictures to really make the room their home. Cushions, bedspreads and ornaments can also add to the homely feel.
Residents can also bring their own electronic devices such as a TV for their room, a laptop or tablet device and mobile phone. Alternatively all residents can watch live TV, films and sports on our communal TVs in our lounges and cinema rooms or keep in touch with friends and family by using the IT Suite.
Settling In
Before moving into a Hallmark Care Home, we’ll give your loved one an ‘About me’ book for them to fill out together with their family. This book will ask questions about their lifestyle, how they like to be addressed, what they enjoy doing, and what they dislike; their favourite and least favourite foods, and so on. The purpose of this is to give their care team a picture of who they are, ensuring all our residents can continue the lifestyle they are used to.
When your loved one arrives at their new home, they will be greeted by a member of the team and helped to settle into their new home in their own time. Many families arrange the room in advance of moving day, so that everything is in place and ready for their relative. Families often stay and join their loved one for lunch or dinner to help them to settle in and encourage communication between our team, the resident and their family as we all get to know each other.
Wrapping Up
While moving into a care home can be a new experience, we work hard to ensure the experience is as natural and easy as possible. To find out more about moving into your loved one’s local Hallmark care home, please select their local home here and get in touch.