There are different types of moves. Most of them have their standard organization and run according to plan. When clients are approachable and cooperate with our professional moving team, problematic situations are rare and quickly resolved.
Some moves are more challenging and require a different approach. These are senior moves. The principle is the same here, but the conditions that need to be enabled for seniors are more diverse.
Whether your parents are moving with you to a new house or they themselves are changing their place of residence and going to a comfortable retirement destination, know that the change of place is difficult for them. Older people tolerate any, even small, deviation from their daily routine.
That is why these are challenging moves; their task is to follow a precisely designed plan. The intention is for seniors to have complete safety and maximum comfort, which is available at that moment.
Hire a moving agency
This situation is where the help of experienced and efficient professionals is essential. Considering the numerous successfully completed moves of all categories, you will receive physical assistance as well as valuable moving advice for seniors.
Our professional movers will instruct you specifically and directly on the steps to be taken and planned. That’s why this item is the first on the list: before any job, there must be a well-developed plan.
Make a plan beforehand
It is not too early to have the plan ready two months earlier. Something can always be added or changed. Analyze the new living space to determine whether it is adequate and comfortable for seniors. How will they move and find their way into it? What is their environment like? Who are their nearest neighbors?
Preparing seniors is an important step. Conversation, answering their questions, and patience are all important factors in making the move as painless as possible emotionally for them.
If you have chosen a new place for your seniors, it is time for a detailed packing plan and all other details. Also, the time frame in which packing and moving will be done must be specified.
You will deal with crucial aspects of the move, but don’t wholly exclude your parents from it. Engage them in plan writing and organization. Consider some of their suggestions and opinions. In this way, it will be easier to bear this situation and in general it will be more useful and feel better.
Remember that they have probably not moved for a long time, that they have aged during that time, and that they are afraid of change and the move itself.
Get rid of redundant and unnecessary things
There is no house without a bunch of unnecessary and outdated things stored for years in rooms, basements, and attics. Before moving, giving away, selling, or throwing away, everything is useful. Things are often out of order, damaged, and outdated, so why would you take them to a new space, which is often smaller?
A problem can arise here because seniors are often too attached to their things. Allow time for a calm and reasoned agreement. If you insist too much, a conflict may arise, and seniors will inevitably be under stress. This is a difficult and unpleasant situation that would upset everyone.
If they insist on keeping something bigger, they can take storage or ask friends and relatives to stay with them for a while.
Allow them to keep what is most important to them and what they have difficulty parting with, but try not to carry out most of the unnecessary things.
Pack room by room
This approach to moving and packing is also the most logical. Allow parents to pack small items like clothes, photos, and memories.
Thus, they will feel comfortable managing the situation and will be convinced that the move is not a disaster and the end of their lives. On the contrary, a new place of residence and the plans around it can revitalize them. It will make work easier for them and for you.
Organize an escort
When the move begins, there will be neither time nor space for slowness and confusion. Older adults have a weaker orientation in space and time, they can find themselves in the way of the team carrying things. They will interfere and make movement difficult, and the danger of falling and injuring seniors is real. No one needs such a complication.
So ask a couple of younger and patient family members, friends, or neighbors to be in charge of only your seniors. If possible, it would be best to take them home that day.
If not, they need to control their movements and their needs for food, medicine, and toilets. Place them in the first vacated room and improvise a part for the possibility of being stationed there. It would be ideal for them to spend time there while the move progresses.
Provide food and medicine
Already shaken emotionally and physically, old people may forget to take their medication at the appointed time. Think about that, too. Charge the escort to ensure they eat and drink their medicine on time, so there are no additional problems. Be sure to include it in the senior moving checklist.
Think about their health
Before moving, take your seniors for check-ups. They certainly have their chronic health problems, so it is good to have them checked before the move. Consult with their doctors about possible additional therapy during this stressful period ahead.
Take their regular therapy so that they have it for the first time in the new destination. Take them to the dentist. You can also have suction or some physiotherapy so that you don’t have to do it immediately after moving.
Transferring their health records to a new place is one of the most important things for elderly people.
Visit the new home early
If possible, and it is not too far and tiring, it would be good to take your seniors to visit their new place of residence earlier.
Thus, they will have a more realistic picture of their future home and a vision of the space to which they will be attached. It is also an excellent opportunity to suggest to them to think about the arrangements and finesse of the space’s decoration.
Stimulation of thinking in this way is undoubtedly useful. Thus, they would engage their attention and direct it to valuable ideas and not to the depressive states caused by the change of residence.
Regulate complete documentation
Everything related to deregistering your residence, registering in a new place, transferring health records, paying bills, mail, amenities, tax… you have to do it yourself, not rely on your parents. Check-in detail whether everything is paid. Register everything in your new residence at your new address as soon as you arrive.
Unpacking
Let’s assume that the move is complete and that everything went smoothly. It is best to go room by room during unpacking, as with packing.
First, unpack and prepare the room for eldest. They are certainly tired and agitated, so they should be settled immediately.
First, provide them with what they need; later, you will arrange everything in detail. Let them go around the house once more and determine the rooms’ layout so they don’t get disoriented.
Sit back and celebrate
Although the unpacking is not over and the final relaxation is not yet in sight, this moment is still for celebration. You moved things safely, and your seniors handled everything in the best possible way, thanks to the moving checklist for seniors, the agency’s efforts, and your maximum engagement.
Order food, toast each other, and happily spend the first night in your new home. Talk about everything, be cheerful and optimistic, and praise everyone’s behavior, especially your seniors. They will be extremely pleased and will feel full of energy and rejuvenated. They will regain faith in their abilities, which is a precious feeling.
Conclusion
Moving seniors requires additional organization, and that’s why you need professional senior moving treatment. The presence of seniors, children, and pets entails special conditions and different planning in certain segments.
Regardless of the aggravating circumstances, everything ends well with a professional moving team and reasonable clients who listen to suggestions and advice.
Every situation can be solved successfully with a good plan, flexibility, and calmness. At the end of it all, the satisfaction of a complicated yet well-done job remains.
