5 fears of moving into residential aged care

Making the decision to move into residential aged care can be difficult. It’s not always a planned decision and can often be the result of a fall, mobility issues or a hospital admission. 

It’s normal to have fears about moving out of your own home and into residential aged care, however at HillView Care we’re here to ease your mind and help make the transition as easy and stress-free as possible. 

Here are a few examples of common fears the elderly have about moving into permanent aged care: 

You’ll be less active

There’s a myth that once you move into assisted living that you won’t be as active as you were when you lived independently. You might feel like the change of routine will make it difficult for you to take part in the activities you once enjoyed and you won’t get out and about as often as you used to. 

Thankfully, aged care living has dramatically changed over the past couple of decades and aged care homes like HillView Care on the Gold Coast offer residents a huge variety of activities and events to keep residents active and healthy. 

Our experienced diversional therapists are passionate about keeping residents entertained and active and have a good understanding of how to engage residents in a range of activities and events.

Residents who like to exercise have access to a wonderful program of physical activities to keep their bodies moving, including the HillView Wellness Program, where residents have a personalised 12-week program that is developed by our on-site physiotherapy team to improve physical and emotional wellbeing. 

Some of the other activities organised by our diversional therapists include:  

• Bocce.
• Exercise classes.
• Gardening.
• Walks.

Residents can also get active in the HillView community by attending a range of lifestyle activities such as BBQs, music concerts, quiz nights, wildlife shows and more! 

You won’t get the right care

Another fear often experienced by family members is that your loved one won’t get the right care they need when they move into an aged care home. 

To overcome this fear, it’s important to talk with your loved one and their doctors to ensure the residential aged care home is equipped to look after all their needs. 

HillView Care has different levels of care on the Gold Coast, including residential aged care, respite care and dementia care. We recommend visiting our Gold Coast Residential aged care homes in person and joining us for a tour. Our friendly staff will show you around and give you all the information you need to make a decision whether HillView Care is right for you and your loved one. 

You’ll be alone and forgotten

Elderly people moving into aged care homes often worry that moving out of their familiar surroundings and into an aged care home will leave them feeling alone and forgotten. They worry that no one will visit and they will be isolated from their friends and family. 

The reality is that moving into residential care is often the opposite. When you live in a home like HillView Care you are surrounded by a community of like minded people and you have the opportunity to form new friendships with other residents and staff. 

You’ll also have lots of time to maintain contact with your existing friends and family. At HillView Care we encourage our residents to stay in contact with family and friends and socialise as much as possible. Our Ashmore and Merrimac aged care homes provide some great spaces where you can catch up with friends and family, and even offer catering for functions on site. 

You’ll miss living independently 

Losing independence is definitely one of the greatest fears of moving into aged care. It’s common to worry about losing your independence and the right to make your own decisions. 

The team at HillView care believe it’s vital to encourage all residents to maintain as much independence as possible. We want residents to control how they live their lives and live their life to the fullest. 

Living in a residential care home can improve independence as your loved one will have the tools and resources to live more independently.  

You’ll have to rely on other people

Nobody wants to rely on anyone else, so it’s normal to have this fear. Even if someone is finding it difficult to care for themselves, it is hard to admit it. 

Moving into an aged care home on the Gold Coast may help your loved one feel that they aren’t such a burden on their family and friends. It’s often easier for people to accept help from people outside their circle of friends and family. 

Staff at HillView Care are professionally trained to help residents with everyday tasks and are always happy to help. It’s our job to make life easier and we will always go above and beyond to make our residents feel happy and comfortable.

If you’d like to know more about HillView Care, book a tour and our friendly staff will show you around our Merrimac or Ashmore aged care homes.