Healthy Family Relationships: Staying Connected After a Senior Living Move

Even after a move into senior living, maintaining healthy family relationships doesn't have to be difficult. By setting scheduled calls, in-person visits, and participating in holidays and events together, you can find renewed strength in your relationships.

With 70% of seniors stating that family relationships are the most important ones in their lives, finding ways to work around common communication barriers is vital to a happy retirement in Broken Arrow, OK.

Here at Morada Broken Arrow, a mere 14 miles southwest of Tulsa, we take senior family connection seriously. Listed below are the top ways you and your family can maintain and create closer bonds than ever before.

Call Schedule

Maintaining closeness after moving starts with a foundation of frequent interaction. Interacting in person isn't always possible, but technology can help you create social interactions that are as meaningful as being in person.

For example, most mobile devices come with a camera and speaker. This lets you host video calls with ease. Seeing your loved ones' faces while chatting can help you feel even more connected than a traditional phone call.

However, traditional phone calls always have a place in healthy family relationships. They're the perfect way to touch base with everyone and can last a handful of minutes or several hours, depending on how you're feeling.

The crucial part of these calls is to set a workable schedule for everyone involved. Once a week is a good starting point, but make sure to adjust it to suit everyone's lifestyle and outside responsibilities.

Planned Visits

Keeping a calling schedule should be the core of distant family relationships, but visiting when possible is a vital part of post-move family support. Although calling can lessen the feeling of missing someone, there's a special connection you can only get through physical presence.

Plan multiple visits throughout the year and set them into your calendar. This gives everyone something to look forward to and can make the time waiting between visits feel smaller.

Shared Events

Holidays, traditions, and achievements should always be celebrated in some way with your family. Sharing activities and events can be as simple as chatting on that specific day, doing the activity together over the phone, or even being together in person.

No matter which way you choose to share these events, it's important to put in the effort to celebrate good things together.

These events and activities can be part of planned visits, but make sure to have a good balance between the two. If every visit consists of busy holiday celebrations, you'll miss out on calmer interactions that can help strengthen family bonds.

Become Pen Pals

Have you ever considered the unique connection of writing to a loved one? Becoming pen pals with your family gives you a new way to reach out and learn about one another.

Taking the time to write to someone else gives you plenty of opportunity to consider your words and how best to phrase them. You'll find yourself sharing things that you might not ever think about sharing in the heat of the moment.

It's also a great way to share everyday things with your loved ones in a way that doesn't feel forced. You can send them a picture you painted or tell them about the book you're currently reading. Then, you'll get to learn about their days in return.

Long-Distance Activities

Many families have activities or games that they love to play together, but distance can make participation difficult. This is the perfect time to figure out activities you can do together on a phone call when visiting isn't possible.

These activities can give you something to do and allow conversation to flow more naturally.

For example, Boggle is a great word game that gives your brain a workout while you have fun with your family. One person is in charge of the game board, and they send photos of it to everyone else. This way, you can play from the same board exactly as if you were together in person.

With a little brainstorming, many games and activities can work similarly.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Are the 5 C's of a Healthy Relationship?

Having a shared set of core factors within the family can often help keep everyone on the same page with every interaction. The 5 C's are ideals that can help guide families toward meaningful and fulfilling bonds:

Communication
Conflict resolution
Compromise
Compassion
Commitment

It's important to set aside time to talk about each of these core factors with your family members. Share what these factors mean to you and how you wish for them to guide your future family interactions.

What Are Signs of Healthy Family Bonds?

Elder relationships differ from one family to another. Some people prefer less frequent communication, while others need more.

The key is to figure out what your family needs from one another and build your bonds from there. Try to strive for these signs of a healthy family:

Predictability
Meaningful communication
Warm interactions
Positivity
Support
Affectiton

How to Increase Family Engagement?

Staying in touch in senior living can often feel like a difficult possibility, but it's easier than you might think.

It takes effort from both sides, and it means accepting the fact that mistakes happen. A missed call doesn't mean that they don't care, but it does mean that you should share how this made you feel, so both sides have a greater understanding.

Make regular communication and interaction a habit. It can feel tricky to first build that habit, but keep at it with honesty and openness. Once that habit forms, it becomes a part of your family's normal schedule and leads to stronger relationships.

Morada Broken Arrow Supports Healthy Family Relationships

When it comes to maintaining healthy family relationships, distance won't matter if you have a supportive community foundation helping you strengthen your lifestyle.

With Morada Broken Arrow's supportive services, making time for family has never been easier. We can take on all of those energy-draining chores so you have all the time to embrace retirement to the fullest. With our full calendar of events and activities, you and your family have ample opportunities to stay close despite any hurdles.

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