For many people, moving into assisted living like Astoria’s assisted senior living in Omaha, can be intimidating. Moving into a senior living community is a big change from what many seniors are used to. Oftentimes, seniors will go from living independently to moving into a senior living community or an assisted living center. That can be a huge adjustment.
Because of this, many seniors are concerned with maintaining their current relationships. If they’re moving to a new location, how are they supposed to maintain friendships with those outside of the community, and how do they make new friends within the community? It’s easy!
If you see your loved one is concerned about making friends in their new assisted living community, here are some tips that they may want to try:
1. Invite others to visit your new home
When you move into any senior living community, not just Astoria’s assisted senior living in Omaha, it doesn’t mean that you’re immediately isolated from your friends. Any of the friendships that you’ve made outside of the walls of the community are still your friends after you move.
To make the transition easier, invite your friends over to see your new home! It doesn’t matter that your new home is in a senior living community; the fact that you’ve moved into a wonderful new place that can better suit your new needs is something exciting and to be shared with your friends. While your friends may not live in your new community, hosting dinner parties and inviting them over regularly is a great way to stay connected and help to ease the anxiety of moving into a new place.
2. Communicate with the staff
One of the easiest ways to make new friends at Astoria’s assisted senior living in Omaha, or anywhere else around the country, is by making friends with the staff. Not only are the staff kind and professional, but they are also ready and willing to be your friends.
If you ask the staff about their lives, they are going to be more than willing to share parts of their lives with you. Just like you enjoy talking about your children, grandchildren, and hobbies, so do they. In fact, they’re probably very excited to be able to share that part of their life with someone that they see every day.
So the next time you see one of the workers, consider inviting them to your friends get together. Even if they don’t attend, extending that hand of friendship can go a long way.
3. Go into it with a good attitude
There’s an old saying that says, “you attract more flies with honey than vinegar,” meaning that if you have a good attitude about things, you’ll draw more people to be close around you. This saying is an old adage for a reason, and when you have a positive attitude about things, you draw more people around you who want to be your friends.
Moving is a big change, and when you’re making a big change, like moving into senior assisted living in Omaha, that choice can seem overwhelming at times. However, for many people, moving into a senior assisted living center is just a beginning for a brand new start of their life.
It can be extremely difficult emotionally to move out of a home that you’ve lived in for many years and try to find where you belong in a new home. Keeping your chin up and your head held high though makes an impression on everyone around you. People want to be near people that make them feel good, that have a good attitude about life, and who are genuinely excited to be around them too. When people see that you’re genuinely excited to meet them and spend time with them, they’ll be flocking from all over the assisted living community to come and be your friend.
4. Get involved in your new community
No matter how tempting it can be to stay in your room sometimes, you aren’t going to be able to make any friends by staying in your room all the time. Senior living communities should be just that: a community. You should attend events, go have meals out in the dining area, and be excited to spend time in a new place.
The best part is that senior living communities always have something exciting and fun going on. You may have the opportunity to try something new that you’ve never been able to do before. Many senior living communities offer dance classes, cooking classes, exercise classes, and more. You may find something that you enjoy doing that you’ve never had the opportunity to try before.
The best part? You’ll be surrounded by people who are trying something new for the first time too, and you’ll be able to bond with them as you try to learn something in a new place with new people. That’s an easy way to make fast new friends.
Enjoying Your New Home in Senior Assisted Living Omaha
Moving into Astoria’s senior assisted living in Omaha can be a major life change. Moving in general can feel overwhelming, but when you feel like you’re moving to a new place and will be unable to make any new friends, the move feels exponentially harder.
However, everyone around you is just as excited to make new friends as you. They are all in a new place, with new people, and trying to figure out the best way to handle things in a new environment – just like you.
Astoria’s senior assisted living in Omaha, is waiting with open arms to welcome you into your new family and your new home. With a friendly, professional staff, and residence from all different walks of life, you’ll have no trouble making a new friend.
If you are interested in seeing what Astoria can do for you, contact us and schedule a tour today!