Your family has toured communities, spent lunches at assisted living options, met multiple residents and staff, and now you have made your final selection on a new assisted living community for your mom. But are you sure that she is going to like it? Are you worried that she will adapt? It’s key to prepare for a move into an assisted living community, so your mom will quickly learn to enjoy her new home.
Having worked with thousands of residents and their family members over the past 21 years, we have some suggestions for starting off on the right foot, so she likes her new home.
We understand that making a new friend or two can positively impact your mother’s attitude toward her new home. Our staff is skilled at introducing new residents to like-minded friends and neighbors. They encourage new residents to participate in activities and go on the local excursions. Our staff will ensure that your mom is not sitting alone at a meal. We take great effort to make her comfortable in her new home during the transition.
Encourage your mom to not stay in her apartment. The entire community is her home that she is welcome to spend time enjoying. Help her set up a morning routine of breakfast followed by coffee in the bistro to meet other residents. Once she is up, dressed, and out of her apartment, she will be more apt to participate in activities and interact with others. Encourage her to learn her way around all the different rooms and to explore the various areas within the community to see what they have to offer—lounging by the fireplace in the living room, participating in a balance class in the fitness room, learning to paint in the craft room, or enjoying a cup of tea in the library.
Our Life Enrichment Directors work hard to create a rotating calendar of engaging events, activities, and special interest groups to encourage social interaction among our residents. They are keen to develop programs that spark the imagination or passions of our residents. Our Life Enrichment Directors love to learn about the interests of our residents and build programs that they will enjoy. Share your mom’s hobbies, interests, and passions with the Life Enrichment staff. They can suggest or cater programs to her interests.
Meals are a wonderful time of the day to meet neighbors and create new friendships. Encourage your mom to eat her three meals each day in the dining room. Even if she is not that hungry, she can get something small. It is an excellent opportunity to eat at different tables and introduce herself to other residents and staff. If she is shy, any staff member will help find her an open table and introduce her to those sitting with her. Many friendships have been made over a lingering cup of coffee after a good meal at Aegis Living.
We take great pride in creating communities that are comfortable, welcoming, and beautiful. We want our residents to share their home with friends and family members. Whether they are sitting by the fire in the living room, walking in the landscaped garden, or enjoying a cocktail in the lounge, your mom will feel at home when she is surrounded by those she loves. Our communities also provide private dining rooms that can be reserved for special occasions or family events. This is a great way to make your mom feel at home when hosting a birthday or celebration as she would have done in her previous house. Hosting an event can help her feel more ownership in her new home and a sense of independence.
Plan to visit on a regular basis and feel free to explore the various spots throughout the community to share quality time together. Studies have shown that family contact is one of the strongest predictors of satisfaction and happiness. Family involvement has been linked to lower mortality, less hospitalization, and earlier hospital discharge in a study of those living in long-term care.
Your mom’s happiness is important to us. We will make every effort to help her adjust. If you are concerned that your mom is not adapting well, contact the General Manager to see if they are things that can be done to make her more comfortable. The chef can prepare a family recipe to comfort her, the Life Enrichment Director can add her favorite pastime to the activity calendar, or we can play her favorite movie in the theater. These little treats can make a significant impact on her happiness and comfort as she settles into her new home.
Our Health Services Director monitors the health, both physically and mentally, of our residents closely. If your mom is not adjusting well to her move, then they will make sure there are no issues of depression or underlying health concerns that might cause discomfort or pain. No one will react positively to a new living situation if they do not feel well. At Aegis Living, we make sure that staff pay extra close attention to new residents and their health is monitored and treated appropriately.
Aegis Living has so many opportunities for your mom to interact with her neighbors, meet new friends, learn new hobbies, stay active, and mentally engage in activities. We will try to make her transition as smooth as possible. With family encouragement, support, and a little time, she will ease into her new home successfully.
Respite Stays & Day Stays give family caregivers a real break—hours, days, or a few weeks—while your loved one enjoys a safe, enriching short‑term home at Aegis Living. Guests settle into a beautifully furnished private apartment and have 24/7 care staff and onsite nurses, medication management, and discreet safety technology (motion sensors, medical‑alert pendants, visitor check‑in) for peace of mind. Each day feels purposeful with chef‑prepared, all‑day dining and 200+ monthly activities—from book clubs and fitness classes to movie nights—plus full use of the community. We coordinate with your loved one’s physicians to mirror their routines and care, so the stay feels familiar. It’s also a smart trial run for senior living: meet neighbors, test services, and see what supported independence looks like—without a long‑term commitment. Choose a Respite Stay when you’re traveling or need time to recharge, when your loved one would benefit from structure, social connection, and great meals, or when you both want peace of mind while keeping options open.
Hospice & End‑of‑Life Care at Aegis Living is comfort‑first support for the final stage of life, delivered in your loved one’s private apartment by our 24/7 care team in coordination with a trusted local hospice provider you choose (or we can recommend). Together, we create a coordinated care plan that manages pain and other symptoms, oversees medications, and provides calm, dignified help with daily needs, while offering compassionate emotional support for both resident and family. Discreet safety measures and a reliable medical‑alert system bring help quickly; chef‑prepared, in‑apartment meals adapt to changing appetites. Families are guided through decisions and moments of closure so they can focus on being present in a peaceful, home‑like setting. If your loved one already lives at Aegis, they can remain in the comfort of their home, avoiding disruptive moves. Choose this level of care when curative treatment is no longer the goal and you want expert symptom control, hands‑on daily support, and a setting that protects dignity and prioritizes comfort, meaning, and time together.
Memory Care is specialized, secure support for people living with Alzheimer’s or other dementias who benefit from a calm, structured environment and round‑the‑clock expertise. At Aegis Living, that care happens in Life’s Neighborhood—an intimate, thoughtfully designed setting where 24/7 dementia‑trained caregivers and a nursing team on site seven days a week deliver personalized help with daily living, medication management, and mobility (including Hoyer lifts and two‑person transfers), while gently redirecting agitation and confusion. Days are purpose‑filled with science‑based cognitive programming, certified music therapy, and social activities; chef‑prepared meals are easy to enjoy and dining spaces and cues are designed for memory support. Discreet safety features like secured entrances, emergency pendants with fall detection, and optional motion sensors, prevent wandering and bring peace of mind, and visiting physicians and wellness professionals reduce trips off‑site. Families receive education and ongoing support. If your loved one is unsafe alone, missing medications, wandering, needs frequent cueing or hands‑on help with bathing or dressing, or thrives with a predictable routine, Memory Care offers the right level of care. For milder needs, our transitional Assisted Living can be a first step; for advancing symptoms, secured Memory Care provides the specialized, heartfelt support to help them feel calm, connected, and at home.