Visiting a loved one in assisted living in Clinton, MS, is an integral part of their life. It provides them with social interaction and support and can also be a great way to spend time with family members or friends.
Visiting regularly can help keep your loved one happy and healthy in their senior living apartment. But how often should you visit? How do you balance visits with other obligations like work? Here are four tips for making sure both parties get what they need from visiting day after day:
- What Is Your Relationship Like?
If you and the person who has moved into an assisted living community have a close, loving relationship, you should visit frequently. You can talk about how their day went and what they did. If something new is happening in their life, such as an upcoming trip or birthday party for a friend, you’ll want to know this so that you can help them get ready for it.
But perhaps your relationship with the person who has moved into a senior-friendly independent living community isn’t very close or strained. It might be best for both of you if contact takes place less often than otherwise might be expected. When people are not on good terms with one another, and when there is tension between them, visits should be reserved only for special occasions like birthdays or holidays.
- Do You Live Nearby or Far Away?
If you’re not familiar with the concept of “quality time,” it’s pretty easy to understand. It’s a term that describes spending time with your loved one in person—not over the phone, via email, or via video call.
When you visit them in person, you have more opportunities to interact face to face and enjoy each other’s company. This is especially important when they live in an assisted living community. They may become socially isolated and lonely if they don’t see any familiar faces regularly.
However, if you live far away from your loved one, visiting them as often as possible might be difficult or impractical for various reasons. If this is your situation, try video calls instead of personal visits whenever possible. That way, you can still keep up with each other without missing out on all those quality moments!
- Have a Purpose for Each Visit
When you visit your loved one, make sure the visits are meaningful. This way, they won’t feel as though they are being a burden to you or anyone else in their life.
Asking them about their interests and hobbies is always a good idea. While this may seem like a simple question, it can open up lines of communication between you and your loved one.
- Be Flexible—Plans Can Change Quickly
While you can’t always plan visits ahead of time, it’s still important to be flexible. Visiting your loved one is a great way to spend time together and have fun, but it can also be exhausting and overwhelming for both of you.
It helps if you have some flexibility in your schedule. That way, if there are any changes or problems with the visit, like bad weather or an emergency at work, you can reschedule or cancel without worrying about how this will affect you or everyone else involved.
If possible, try not to visit when you’re feeling stressed out or upset yourself—it’s better if everyone involved is happy when they meet up! Remember that taking care of yourself is just as important as making sure everyone else feels good too!
