Moving from your home is never an easy process. From packing everything up properly, deciding what to save and what to get rid of, and the actual moving day itself, moving is a stressful task.
For seniors and their loved ones, the moving process comes with its own set of complications. At a certain age, change becomes a much more difficult concept. If you or a loved one is facing health or personal issues along with the move, it makes the situation more delicate.
Fortunately, we have gathered some tips for how to make moving less stressful and even enjoyable for seniors and their families. Read on to find out how to make moving a better experience for seniors.
How Do You Know It’s Time to Move?
One of the hardest things about making a move for seniors is knowing when the right time to move is. It is incredibly difficult to leave your home, especially if it’s the home you raised your children in. That’s why it’s crucial not to rush the decision to move but to think about it rationally.
If you have unused rooms in your house that are just collecting dust and knick-knacks, it’s a good sign you’ve got too much space. If maintaining the home is becoming too much work or costing too much money, it’s another sign that downsizing is a good choice.
Likewise, if you feel that your house has greatly appreciated in value and a move would be profitable for you, consult a few realtors to assess the market and discuss your selling and buying options.
One of the biggest reasons most seniors decide to move is the need for more assistance. As a senior, it’s nice to have fewer daily responsibilities and more community around you at all times.
A senior living community is great for still active and healthy seniors who don’t need regular assistance and don’t want to worry about yard maintenance, appliance service calls, food preparation, and more.
For seniors with health issues, an assisted living or senior living facility can help make your everyday life much easier, and for your family, knowing you’re cared for takes away a lot of worries.
When you’ve decided to move, make sure you find a new home that has every amenity you’re looking for.
Moving Tips for Seniors
When you’ve decided to make a move and you’ve chosen your new home, it’s time to start preparing right away. You’ll be grateful for all the time you can get.
The first thing you should do in the moving process is to hire a professional moving company. After all, they can book up quickly, so taking care of that as soon as possible helps ensure they are available to help.
Outside of that, ask for help from your loved ones and take your time to go through your belongings and downsize. Having a layout for your new home is a huge help, so you know right away how much of your furniture and possessions you’ll have room for.
Don’t rush to throw everything away but don’t cling to items that no longer hold value, financially or emotionally. The important thing to remember with downsizing is to take your time. If you’ve spent more than 20 years in your current home, you can’t expect to pack everything up in a weekend.
When it comes to putting things in boxes, many moving services also offer packing services, which is a massive help for seniors who don’t have loved ones close by.
If you have valuable belongings that you know you no longer have room for, enlist the help of a professional estate sale agent who can assign value to certain items and help you get rid of what you don’t need without throwing money away.
Moving Tips for Seniors’ Loved Ones
If you’re providing moving assistance for seniors in your life, it’s a different kind of stress. When your parent, grandparent, or loved one is faced with a move, your job is all about support. Change is difficult for everyone, but it’s more complicated the older you are, so patience is key.
Like with any move, you want to follow a standard moving checklist. Pack up bigger rooms first, be sure to have a suitcase set aside for moving day itself when everything else will be packed away, make sure you’re cleaning up the old house after everything is gone, and more.
If you’re a loved one enlisted to help in a move, the first thing is to know your role. Are you needed to take charge or simply to help?
Make a plan with your parents or loved ones for packing up various rooms, and make a checklist for memorable keepsakes you want to keep or pass down to other family members. Don’t just assume control and leave your loved ones out of the decision-making altogether.
Be sure to regularly check on their mental well-being throughout the process, and don’t forget your own. If your parents are leaving the home you grew up in, say your own goodbyes as well.
Helping seniors move isn’t an easy task, so the best things you can do are give yourself and your loved ones ample time, have a plan in place, and be flexible.
Cento Makes Moving Easy for Everyone
Whether you or a loved one is moving due to declining health, financial constraints, or simply looking to downsize, at Cento Moving, we want to make the process as stress-free as possible.
We’re a top-ranked Orlando moving company handling local and long-distance moves, and we carry $250,000 more insurance coverage than legally required so you can have peace of mind on moving day. We offer moving, packing, and storage services, and we treat each customer like our own family. The same goes for your possessions.
If you’re a senior looking to make a stress-free move or have an elderly loved one in need of moving help, contact us today for an instant free quote.
