Joining an assisted living community can be daunting. It’s natural to take time to feel comfortable with the facility and staff and create new connections with other residents. As your parent’s guardian and confidant, there are several ways to help your parents join the community so they won’t have to go through it alone.
Here are essential tips to help your older parent make new friends in an assisted living community.
How to Make New Friends in Assisted Living
Introduce them to the staff and residents
Walk around the community with your parents. Take the initiative to introduce them to the staff and residents to help them get a good feel for the people around them and hopefully initiate conversations. It’s also a good idea to get to know the staff and residents yourself to get to know the people your parents will interact with. You can even ask for help from some of the staff to help your parents make new friends in the facility when you’re not there.
Participate in community events or join a club
Joining community events or clubs like a book club, gardening club, or fitness club is one of the best ways to encourage social interaction among residents. Plus, it helps build the community spirit by interacting and participating in community games and activities.
Learn new hobbies or skills
Another great way to make new friends is to learn new hobbies or skills. Senior living communities typically arrange workshops and activities for seniors where they can learn new skills together. You could also encourage your senior parent to bond with the other residents over similar hobbies and interests.
Eat meals together
Sitting down and having a meal together is one way to foster a bond with other residents. The act of eating food together as a community can help bring people closer because of shared experiences. It allows room for building relationships, establishing a connection, and encouraging conversation between residents.
Accept their lack of interest in social interactions
While a healthy social life is ideal for most people, some can thrive with minimal social interaction. Maybe it takes them a while to open up to new people. If that’s the case for your aging parent, you have to accept it. Let them socialize, make new friends on their own terms, and provide support by being patient and respectful.
Care That Goes Beyond
Enrich Senior Living fosters an environment of purpose and independence for seniors. We strive to provide every resident with the best possible quality of life. Click here to learn about our customized services, or click here to contact our team.
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