If you have a parent who has arranged to move from their current property into a nursing home, you may find the advice below to be quite helpful.
Put their mementos and favourite belongings into storage
One of the reasons why a lot of older people struggle with the prospect of moving into a nursing home is that it requires them to give away or get rid of a lot of the belongings that they have collected over the course of their lifetime (as there is not usually enough space in nursing home rooms for a large number of items).
If this is something that your parent is finding hard to cope with, then you might want to consider putting their most precious mementos and favourite possessions into a storage container at a local self-storage facility.
You can 'decorate' the inside of the storage container with their belongings, in the same way that you might display items at a gallery or a museum. Then, you can take your parent to visit the unit occasionally, on days when they feel like reminiscing or using their favourite items.
If you decide to do this, you should try to find a storage facility that is just a short drive away from the nursing home where your parent will soon be living. This will ensure that your elderly parent doesn't have to endure a long road journey every time they wish to visit the storage unit.
Perform the move gradually
Virtually everyone who moves house finds this experience to be very stressful, regardless of how old they happen to be at when the move occurs. However, many older people find moving into a nursing home to be particularly distressing, as it can signal the loss of their independence and the arrival of the final stage of their life.
Attempting to move everything your parent owns into the nursing home in one fell swoop is not a great idea in this situation, as the chaos and the sight of all of their possessions being packed up or disposed of may make them feel overwhelmed and upset.
In this situation, it would be better to prepare for the move gradually, over the course of perhaps a month or two. Moving just one or two boxes into the storage unit or their room at the nursing home each week will make this experience less emotionally jarring for your parent.
