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Solving the moving “problems” of our seniors

Moving can be a busy, stressful time for anyone, especially our seniors. It’s also often stressful for you, as adult children, to help your elderly parents move or sell their home. 

If you have an elderly relative moving house or moving into a retirement or assisted care facility, here are some ways to help make the overwhelming, emotional process less stressful for everyone. 

Help sell or donate their treasures

One of the most emotional parts of selling your home is going through your personal belongings and deciding what stays and what goes. For our seniors, they have likely accumulated a lifetime of treasured memories and items in their homes. Choosing what to keep and what to leave behind can be hard, especially if they are downsizing or moving into a care home or retirement community where space is limited. 

Our best tip for this is to start the process early and if it’s becoming too overwhelming, take a break. No one wants to feel rushed to sort through their belongings. Another helpful idea can be to take photos of what they give away or sell. Put these pictures into a photo album or get a photo book printed online so they can continue to cherish the memories, not the “stuff.” 

If you anticipate a struggle getting them to part with their belongings, start by helping them to declutter first. Then move on to larger items next. 

Get planning help

Ask anyone who’s ever done it on their own, and they’ll likely say that planning a move often feels like a full-time job. You often coordinate with many vendors (including realtors, lawyers, cleaners, packers, and movers). For a senior, this can become overwhelming very fast, especially when simultaneously dealing with the emotional side of moving. 

Get help to find your senior the right people to support their move. A moving concierge or coordinator can help with all the planning and execution of the move. This coordinator will also have a list of trusted vendors they’ve used before, so you’re more likely to get good quality service. 

Being empathetic

Moving is very emotional. You must work with and hire people to understand the intricacies of working with seniors. Being empathetic to what they’re going through is more than just giving a kind smile. It’s about truly understanding their struggles and providing them with what they need to minimize the stress. This is where hiring a moving concierge who specializes in working with seniors can be a huge asset. 

Get moving-day help

There is indeed a lot of work to be done before moving day, but we can’t forget there is still work to be done around moving day itself. When you’re moving, here are the top key tasks that are needed during this time:

In your old home

  • Cancelling services at old home (eg: internet, phone)
  • Last-minute packing
  • Preparing your overnight bag
  • A move-out clean 

In the new home

  • Re-connecting services in new home
  • Unpacking and decorating/set up of your new home
  • A move-in clean
  • Repair or renovations work

Adding grief to the mix

If you’re selling their home because they have passed, it can be even harder as you’re not only dealing with the logistics of cleaning their home and the selling of their property but you’re also still grieving. Getting help from family, friends, or a moving concierge can be helpful to keep everything organized and provide objective third-party opinions and advice when needed
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Whether you are helping your elderly parents mov, or cleaning up their estate after their passing, call Judie and the Your Moving Concierge team. We make moving anyone, Seniors included, easy and stress-free. Contact us today to get a quote for your next move. 

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