Harder than I expected but some things that helped

My mum has just completed her first week in a care home and i wanted to share what we found, in case it helps anyone else going through this.

The first few days were really difficult. She cried when we left on day one and rang us three times on day two asking to come home. I nearly went to get her. But by day four something shifted, she'd had lunch with another resident she liked, and the care worker who'd been assigned to her had clearly taken the time to learn her little routines.

What helped most was keeping visits short and calm, bringing a few more photos from home, and asking the staff directly how she was when we weren't there rather than just relying on what she told us (she always said she was fine even when she wasn't).

Has anyone else found the first week harder than they expected? What got you through it?