While your parent will no doubt have plenty to do in their new community, it’s also important for them to feel connected to old friends and family. These tips can help you encourage visitors to your parent’s new assisted living community.

6 Ways to Encourage Visitors to an Assisted Living Community

1.    Select a Senior Community Close to Home

Your senior loved one may have plenty of friends and family nearby who are accustomed to stopping in and saying a quick “hello.” Try not to move your loved one away from this support structure. 

Finding a senior community within your loved one’s community keeps them within sight and on the minds of those who would be most likely to visit. 

2.    Schedule Visits

Don’t leave it to chance that people will carve time out of their busy days to visit your loved one. Schedule weekly visits and encourage people to treat it as they would a business meeting or child’s little league game. It’s an appointment they can’t miss. 

You can use resources like the LotsaHelpingHands.com calendar to schedule visits, too. 

3.    Bring Activities to Do Together

Are you afraid you’ll be stuck staring at your older family member with nothing to do or nothing to talk about on your visit, counting the minutes until you can make a graceful exit? 

While your aging family member will no doubt be happy to see you, they probably want something to pass the time, as well. Bring a puzzle, a book to read together, board games, a deck of cards, or even old photo albums so you can look at photos together and share memories. 

4.    Share Ideas with Other Visitors

Suggest that other visitors also bring something to do such as:
•    Write down a list of questions about past, significant historic events that your loved one lived through, or the family tree. These topics could make the time fly!
•    Bring old photos and scrapbooking materials and create a scrapbook together as you stroll down memory lane. 
•    Help your loved one embrace a new hobby, such as painting or learning a new language.
•    Rent, buy, or stream a favorite movie on demand and watch it together. 

5.    Take Advantage of All a Senior Community Has to Offer

From gourmet meals to fitness classes, the best assisted living communities provide plenty to keep residents busy. And many times, loved ones are welcome to join in! Take advantage of these programs and events and invite loved ones to stop by for them.

6.    Recruit Volunteers to Help

Maybe your loved one has no friends or family in the area. You can make sure they have company in the time between your visits by relying on a volunteer organization. 

CreateTheGood.org suggests reaching out to organizations that coordinate visits between volunteers and seniors in assisted living communities. 

Encourage Your Loved One to Stay Busy

Of course it’s important to visit your loved one in assisted living. But it’s equally important to encourage them to participate in a variety of the many classes, activities, day-trips, and social opportunities that happen every day at their community. 

Through our Lifestyle360 program, Five Star Senior Living provides plenty of enrichment activities, educational opportunities, and fitness classes to keep seniors active. Learn more today.