My wife has dementia and will be moving to an assisted living facility in two weeks. Any advice?

I like the suggestion of bringing her over for social hour or activities.

I took my mom to see her new place before she moved in. I think it just made her really sad, but I didn't want to just dump her with no warning.

I do wonder if AL is the right choice if your wife has dementia. She should be in Memory Care, because people with dementia in AL don't make any friends among those who don't have it and often find themselves isolated. AL does have an expectation that the residents can decide whether to participate or not in activities, and most won't on their own volition. A Memory Care facility will engage with her much more and bring her to activities and meals.

It doesn’t seem like a good idea. It would only give her time to voice objections, complaints and so on. I’d just take her there on move-in day and be as cheerful as possible throughout, hoping your positive emotions rub off on her.

Since your wife has dementia, I too think the answer is "no". If she has any memory loss as well it may not be productive if she can't remember.

llfranke, when my Dad's apartment wasn't ready, the facility let me bring Dad by during their "social hours". We went daily for over a week. That was so helpful for him, so when the time came for Dad to move in, he didn't feel like he was a stranger.

Of course, what worked for my Dad may not work for everyone. For my Dad, he understood why he was moving.

Here is a link to a great article with 50 useful tips on transitioning a loved one with dementia into managed care:

https://www.seniorlink.com/blog/50-tips-on-transitioning-a-loved-one-to-memory-dementia-or-alzheimers-careyour-blog-post-title-here

The short answer is NO.

Good luck!