5 Benefits of Using a Senior Move Manager

Change is challenging for everyone, but for senior citizens, it can be extra tough. You or your loved one might be leaving the family home you spent decades settling into. Memories run deep, and emotions may run high.

The next destination may be a senior living or nursing community, or at least a smaller residence. You may have mixed feelings about this change.

Being an adult child tasked with moving a senior parent adds another layer of complexity. Today, families lead busy lives scattered across vast geographic areas. You may not live in the same state as your parents. You may lack the bandwidth to help Mom or Dad move in an organized and thoughtful way.

Solution: Hire A Senior Move Manager

A smooth relocation usually entails interactions with several family members, service providers, and professionals. A senior move manager can act as the point person, marshaling all the players into a cohesive team.

Senior move managers are professionals who specialize in relocating elders. Their training enables them to anticipate the needs and concerns of senior citizens facing a big move.

When considering a senior move manager, don’t just hire the first name in the phone book (or Google search). You want a service provider that suits your expectations and lifestyle. You or your loved ones will spend a substantial amount of time with this provider, either in person, on the phone, or by email. Plan to interview several providers.

The senior moving company will typically oversee all aspects of the move from beginning to end, including:

• Arranging and de-cluttering the home.
• Helping senior citizens choose favorite items to keep.
• Helping the senior citizen choose what to downsize and get rid of, either by donating them, giving them away to family members, or holding an estate sale.
• Packing belongings for the move.
• Loading out belongings.
• Loading in and unpacking belongings into the new residence.
• Arranging the belongings in the new residence to make it safe, comfortable, and like home.

Some senior move managers may organize the estate sale, locate the elder’s next residence, coordinate the renovation of the home to prep it for sale, and maybe even list the house for sale.

Good senior moving companies not only have the experience to facilitate lifestyle transitions. They also have the emotional expertise to assist seniors and their families through this difficult transition. Their job is to facilitate both the emotional and logistical aspects of moving for elders with compassion and integrity.

Each move is unique. It took years of thoughtful effort for senior citizens to collect their possessions. A senior move manager takes the proper time and care to dispose of the home and possessions with respect.

Reduce the stress of  your loved one’s move. Consider True Legacy Homes’ 7 Benefits of Working with a Senior Manager:

1. Experience

2. Coordination

3. Planning

4. Downsizing

5. Reduced Stress

6. Unpacking & Resettling

7. After the Move

1. Experience

Senior move managers develop a skill set well suited to working with elders. They understand trends in senior living and know about the best resources for senior moves. They know who to call for the best value in services, saving you money on overpriced or unnecessary services. The experienced hand on the wheel leads to peace of mind for a smooth transition.

2. Coordination

Senior relocations often involve many people. Not the least of these players are family members concerned for their loved ones’ comfort, health, and legacy. A senior moving manager can work with you and your loved ones to understand what needs to happen, how you would like it done, and help apprehensive seniors regain a sense of control throughout the moving process.

No one wants to feel like just another piece of furniture to be moved from one home to the next. Senior move managers empower elders and their families to set the terms of the move, rather than trying to appease the requirements of a series of service providers looking out for their own interests.

3. Planning

The first step in the move process is to make a plan. Senior move managers work in concert with family members and a team of service providers to create a timeline for the move and a strategy for the transition—what needs to be done, how it will be done, and when it will be done.

Every plan is different, customized to the client. Senior moving companies work at your pace, walking you through the steps of a successful move. Liquidating and downsizing the current home is just the start; a senior moving company helps you prepare for the new home. They work with you to customize your interior design to the floor plan of the new home, ensuring ease of mobility and familiarity with the surroundings. The ultimate goal is to ensure that the client is comfortable, happy, and at ease in the new environment.

A senior moving director can plan:

• When to begin packing
• When to request moving quotes
• When to shut off or restart utilities
• What needs to be put in place before moving day

All of this planning is time-consuming. A senior moving company greatly reduces the pinch on your schedule. If you barely know where to start in the planning of the move, hiring a senior move manager may be the right call.

4. Downsizing

The most emotional part of the moving process is usually the sorting of possessions to keep vs. discard or sell. Seniors, family members, and the senior move manager work together to keep the fondest keepsakes, consolidate them, and decide which ones can make the move, stay in the family, or make the transition to a new owner.

A senior moving director can guide realistic decisions on which current items should move to and fit into a new home.

Good senior moving companies put the elders and their families in the driver seat, with full control over what to keep, donate, or sell. However, when it comes time to make tough decisions, a senior move manager can be a neutral sounding board and a voice of reason, talking the family through the hard task of letting go.

If the house is large with lots of stuff to liquidate or lots of on-the-fence items, the manager can arrange storage of goods until a decision is made. He or she can also connect the family to an expert in estate sales. The senior moving company may even conduct the estate sale, list the house for sale with the help of a REALTOR® associate, or list the house themselves if licensed to do so. If anything is donated, the manager can ensure that the giveaways are documented for deduction from taxes.

5. Reduced Stress

While this may be your first time to help an elderly parent move, senior move managers have done this dozens or even hundreds of times. They have seen it all and can prepare for hiccups, quickly and efficiently solving unforeseen problems.

Since senior move managers do this every day, they will have suggestions you would never even think of. While the family is busy in their daily routines, the manager will make sure that the new home is really your home, taking the stress of the move. He or she handles the tedious tasks of packing and scheduling, making phone calls and arrangements with REALTORs®, senior community staff, and other service providers you may engage. They do all the heavy lifting (up to and including hiring movers to lift actual heavy stuff).

6. Unpacking & Resettling

Your senior moving company is with you every step of the way. They make sure your possessions are treated with care. Whether you want your new place to look like your old house, or you need to create a whole new setting, the manager makes your vision a reality.

The best part is you don’t have to lift anything or ask family to do it. The manager oversees the movers’ work, both in the old home and in the new, ensuring that all furniture and cartons land in the proper rooms and quickly unpacking items that you need right away, such as medications and important documents. The manager will help arrange your possessions to optimize storage and personalize the new home. He or she may also arrange furniture, search for appropriate solutions for storage, and stock up an empty pantry.

7. After the Move

For your former home to fetch the best price, it must be in tip-top shape. Your senior move manager is responsible for the cleaning of the home, yard work, possibly even repairs and renovations. The manager can handle donations, distribute belongings to relatives, and either hire an estate sale liquidator or manage the estate sale.

Contact True Legacy Homes with any questions you have about hiring a senior move manager for your San Diego area relocation.