Debunking the Notion that People Hate Change

People love change. Sometimes, it can take a while for them to realize that though. This week’s blog debunks the idea that people hate change and highlights changes that people face as they move into assisted living communities.

By Rick Banas of assisted living provider BMA Management, Ltd.

Roger E. Breisch profile & logo

The idea that people hate change is wrong, Roger E. Breisch told those of us in attendance at an “Identifying Barriers to Creativity” workshop that he conducted last week.

People Love Change.

To illustrate, Roger held up a device that all of us in the room have. It used to be nothing more than a mobile phone. Today, my iPhone enables me to take pictures; connect to the Internet; access my e-mail, Facebook, Linked In and Twitter accounts; check my calendar and the weather; and get directions to where I want to go.

We rush out to be among the first to change from an iPhone 4 to an iPhone 5.

My alma mater, Notre Dame College Prep in Niles, Illinois, introduced iPad learning last year.

No matter how much we have come to love the old, we welcome the opportunity to try new restaurants, listen to new songs, and try new and improved products.

During a phone conversation with my mother earlier this week, she reminded me about how years ago she was totally against air conditioning. In her opinion back then, we simply didn’t need it. Now, with the Chicago area having one of the few stretches of hot and humid weather that we have had all summer, she is so thankful that my father had air conditioning installed in the house.

What people hate, Roger said, is being changed. They hate the loss of control.

Roger speaks, conducts workshops and publishes Blogs and other written materials that are designed to help people open up new possibilities in their lives, their businesses and the organizations they are involved in by Asking Questions that Matter.

Part of our challenge when it comes to working with older adults is that they are being changed by sudden and dramatic changes in their health; by the onset of chronic health conditions; and by the loss of employment, a spouse and friends.

They hate that they are losing control because of changes that are occurring in their lives.

They often believe, despite all of the evidence to the contrary, that a move to senior living, assisted living or memory care will mean a loss of independence and control.

They perceive, even though they have not yet made a visit, that senior living, assisted living and memory care are just fancy names for a nursing home.

They are of the mindset that, no matter what, the only way I am leaving the house is in a horizontal position.

They view the efforts of their concerned adult children to move them into senior living, assisted living or memory care as another sign that they are losing control.

I have the privilege of experiencing the ways senior living, assisted living and memory makes a difference in the lives of older adults and their families each and every time I visit one of the 37 communities that BMA manages.

I hear from residents about how they love the change they made. Often, their only regret is why did I wait so long to make the move.

As Roger said, people love change. They hate being changed and losing control.

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All affordable assisted living communities managed by BMA Management, Ltd. are certified and surveyed by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. All assisted living communities are licensed and surveyed by the Illinois Department of Public Health.

“BMA Management, Ltd. is the leading provider of assisted living in Illinois
and one of the 20 largest providers of assisted living in the United States.”

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Gardant Management Solutions has 20+ years of industry-acclaimed operational history in developing, managing and consulting for senior living, assisted living and memory care communities.