Five Favorite Tips for Decorating Your Senior Living Apartment

At Summerset Senior Living, we’re proud to offer amazing senior living services complete with private, furnished, and beautifully maintained apartments to help you and your loved ones feel right at home! Personal touches are incredibly important to make you feel comfortable and at ease during your stay, in surroundings that are homey and familiar. Whether you or your loved one is moving into our senior assisted living apartments, is here for Memory Care, or is checking in for a Respite Stay, we encourage self-expression and personalization to make the experience that much more positive. Here, we’ve gathered five great ways to make your stay at Summerset a reflection of you!

1. Personal transitional items

As children, we all had a favorite blanket or stuffed animal we took with us to slumber parties and sleepovers, to bring us comfort and remind us of home. When your loved one moves into a new place, a transitional item for an adult can serve as a reminder of the life they’ve lived and the people they love. Maybe it’s a photo of the family, or a favorite set of books, or personal pieces of handmade crafts. These types of items not only serve to add visual interest to the assisted living room, but also act as a great reminder of the resident’s accomplishments, family, and life, that they can come back to time and time again!

2. Artificial flowers or succulents

California is blessed with beautiful sunny weather, and Summerset Senior Living’s facilities are full of luscious landscaping and colorful interactive floral murals. Your family member might consider continuing the trend of showcasing nature by adding succulents or silk flowers to the apartment. While real flowers are not ideal due to the upkeep and possible allergen release, succulents and silk flowers are non-allergenic, and don’t require any care at all! They’re beautiful to look at, and are sure to bring cheer to anyone who sees them.

3. A comfy quilt or duvet

Quilts and duvets are an amazing way to spruce up a living situation. You can also change a bedspread with the seasons, or use it as a central theme around which to decorate! Favorite blankets can bring a touch of home and familiarity to a new resident’s room, and can also literally wrap your loved one in a comfy, cozy warmth that is perfect for chillier California nights.

4. Door Decorations

Is your loved one always looking forward to holidays and special events? Were their home decorations the talk of the neighborhood around the winter holidays, the Fourth of July, and autumn? Absolutely bring that enthusiasm into the assisted living center! Not only will decorating your loved one’s door, adorned with wreaths, flags, and signs, bring about seasonal and holiday cheer to anyone who passes, but they make great talking points as well; your resident might find themselves making a new friend or two as they discuss the decorations!

5. Bring in favorite pieces of furniture

Did your loved one have a favorite TV-watching chair? How about a prized antique side table, or a beautiful lamp passed down for generations? As our private apartments do not feature included furniture, they are waiting to be filled with a personalized touch! Decorating with elements from home will not only create a comfortable, lived in feeling to the apartment, but will also add to the level of comfort and familiarity your loved one’s experience. Furthermore, these elements are often filled with history and emotion that shouldn’t be discarded, and can aid in memory retrievals.

There are many ways to make your Respite Stay, Memory Care, or Assisted Living apartment feel like home, while allowing you or your loved one an outlet for their creativity and individuality, while honoring their precious memories. Adding your personality and story to the apartment will create a feeling of home, will be inviting to your new friends, and will help to ease the transition into your new life!