Moves for Seniors Blog

Moving yourself or an elderly loved one can be a daunting task. From researching new retirement or senior living communities to downsizing and packing up your home, it’s a lot for families to take on. Fortunately, if you need extra assistance at any stage of the moving process, senior move facilitators are available to help you every step of the way.

Today we’ll talk about the life cycle of a senior move from start to finish, and explore the many ways that senior move managers (otherwise known as senior move facilitators or senior move specialists) can help with planning, coordinating, packing, and more, to make the transition as stress-free as possible for everyone involved. Here’s what we’ll cover:

1. Realizing the need for a senior move
2. Engaging a senior move manager
3. Downsizing and organizing
4. Packing
5. Senior moving logistics
6. Settling into a new environment
7. Handling potential senior move complications

Let’s get started.

Step 1: Realizing the need for a senior move

Arguably the most emotionally difficult part of a senior move is when you begin to notice changes in your or your elderly loved ones’ health, behavior, or ability to care for themselves independently. 

You may begin to notice health issues like weight loss or changes in eating habits, memory loss, or difficulty communicating effectively. You may notice that you or your loved ones are having trouble getting up and down stairs or worse, have had a fall. 

Maybe you’re finding it too difficult to keep up with your own landscaping and gardening, or perhaps meal preparation and basic household cleaning tasks are all becoming too much to handle. When seniors begin to miss bill payments and struggle to keep up with finances, or when they find it difficult to keep up with personal care like bathing, shaving, and dental hygiene, it may be time for a move. 

Step 2: Engaging a specialist in senior moves

Once you’ve identified the need for more care, you and your loved ones can work to identify the most appropriate new home. There are many options that cover all levels of care, from independent living to skilled nursing, and all budgets. As that process is set in motion, you can also engage with a company that specializes in senior downsizing and moves. 

At Moves for Seniors, our team, led by a Senior Move Specialist, will work with seniors and/or their families to define goals and map out a timeline for making the transition to a senior living community. The team also includes Facilitators (or professional organizers) who can create space plans for the new home and help identify which items get moved, what can be sold or donated, and what can be discarded. Having a senior move strategy in place from the beginning makes the rest of the process much easier, especially when a senior move specialist is leading the way.

Your comprehensive senior move team will include any or all of the following people:

• The senior
• Adult children/family
• Move facilitators, professional organizers, or move managers
• Movers
• Healthcare providers
• Community resources

Once your senior move team is in place, your facilitator will map out a strategy to begin downsizing and getting everything organized.

Step 3: Downsizing and organizing

Once you’ve realized it’s time to move, downsizing and organizing is the most common next step in the senior move process. Some seniors may opt to handle this task themselves, but for those that don’t want the hassle, our downsizing professionals are experts at helping to organize and declutter prior to a move. They will be critical partners to help get all your (or your loved ones’) belongings where you want them to be—whether that’s going to the new home, being shipped across the country to family or friends, or being discarded or donated.

Our decluttering, discarding, and donation services for seniors include any or all of the following:

• Space planning for furniture and accessories going to the new home
• Organizing, sorting, and decluttering 
• Determining what gets sold, donated, or discarded
• Professional packing
• Unpacking and settle-in services at the new home
• Managing trash and donation pick-up

At the same time, your organizers are helping with the downsizing process, your senior move manager will make all the necessary logistical arrangements for the actual moving day.

Step 4: Packing

Packing for a move is a daunting task at any age. When you work with a Senior Move Specialist, a dedicated packing team can ensure all of your or your loved ones’ belongings are properly boxed up and prepared for safe transport—and we’ll even bring the supplies. You can also pack everything up yourself if you prefer to and are able to handle the task. 

Step 5: Planning senior move logistics

The first step in planning the logistics of a senior move is to select and schedule the movers. If you work with a senior moving company like Moves for Seniors, your dedicated Senior Move Specialist will handle this and will also ensure that the schedule works for your needs.

Then comes move day! Moving day is always stressful, but you can minimize the chaos with a Move Manager (often the same person as your facilitator) who will oversee everything from start to finish:

• Confirming details with the movers so you don’t have to. They’ll make sure your movers know when to arrive, where to park and more. 
• Making sure boxes and furniture are loaded in the correct order to ensure efficient delivery and unloading.
• Watching out for the safety of your items and the home you are leaving—making sure walls and handrails are protected, floors don’t get scuffed, etc. 
• Answering your questions and representing any concerns you may have.
• On the delivery end (if applicable), oversee the unloading of items into the new home so that pathways are clear and workable and items are left where they should be.  

All you have to do is watch and (try to) relax!

Step 6: Settling into a new environment

Always plan ahead, your senior move facilitator may have already created a floor plan for the new residence before your moving day so that the movers know where to put specific furniture and boxes. The day after the move, your facilitator can help set up the home for immediate comfort and familiarity by removing items from boxes and setting up the kitchen and bathroom, organizing closets, making beds, hanging shower curtains, and discarding trash and packing supplies. They can even hang artwork and pictures exactly how you had them in your old home. If you’re moving long-distance, Moves for Seniors can provide a local resource in that location to help with settle-in services. 

Step 7: Handling potential senior move complications

Did you know that moving is the 3rd biggest stressor in life? Senior relocation stress syndrome is real, and we know all about it. Read our research paper about Senior Relocation Stress Syndrome. 

Long distance moves present an extra layer of complication to an already stressful transition. Fortunately, Senior Move Specialists are experienced in handling all the details of a long distance move. Read our case study about handling the complication of moving cross country. 

Wrapping up

The number one key to a successful, stress-free senior move is preparation. Our mission is to make your senior move as seamless as possible, whether you’re moving or you’re helping a loved one move. Let a senior move specialist handle the logistics of planning, organizing and getting you there, so you can focus on being excited about your new home and your new chapter in life.

Ready to make the move? Get your quote today.