When it’s time for a senior member of your family to move, it can be an emotional time. Whether it’s downsizing, moving in with a son or daughter, or moving into an assisted living facility, packing up those memories can be difficult. What’s more, there are many different aspects of the move that can be overwhelming to organize on your own. For this reason, we’ve put together a list of tips to make the process easier.
1. Keep Open Communication About the Move
As we’ve already stated, this is bound to be an emotional process. All parties involved may need some time to grieve the old home and become excited for the future. This is made much easier when a family is open to talking through the apprehension.
2. Make a Plan for the New Space
If you’re able to get a floor plan, you can plan out how and where all furniture and belongings will fit. This will also help you identify items that need to go in storage and plan accordingly.
3. Be Prepared to Downsize
You should assume that not everything will be brought into the new home. Start with a list of things that are easier to part with. When you get to valuable or personal items, take what you need and consider storing or parting with what you don’t. At Ramsey’s Moving Systems, we can help by buying antiques you no longer want and donating items to charity.
4. Leave Packing to the Professionals
By this point in the move, you’re likely to be exhausted. It’s been an emotional ordeal and you’ve already sorted through most of the items. Allow the movers to sort and pack at this point. They’ll make sure everything is wrapped and organized efficiently so nothing is lost or broken. All you need to do is pack a bag of essentials you’ll need while the rest of the belongings are in boxes.
5. Look Forward to the Future
Once your belongings are in the hands of insured and certified movers, all that’s left to do is look forward to the new memories to be made. At Ramsey’s, we’ll take care of everything, including carefully unpacking your items. Additionally, we assign one relocation consultant to each move so that you have one point of contact throughout the process. An important part of the senior moving process is ensuring that you feel comfortable with your chosen movers throughout.
For more about our experience with senior moving services, as well as some of the local retirement communities we service, please visit our Senior Moving page.