Helping Your Senior Loved Ones Prepare to Move

Helping a parent move can be very stressful for everyone. Next to the death of a spouse, moving ranks as one of the highest sources of anxiety among Seniors. People cling to their posessions rather than acknowledging the fear of the change. While adult children see stuff to be sorted through and tossed out; a parent sees memories and treasures.

At Caring.com there is an organized list on how to tackle the process one step at a time.

Step-By-Step

1. How to sort
   1. Avoid tackling the whole house in one go
   2. Frame decisions as a “yes/no” question
   3. Use the new space as a guide
   4. Banish the “maybe” pile
   5. Focus on the most used items and let the rest go
2. Dealing with the Treasures
   1. Keep representative items…not the whole thing
   2. Ask “which is your favorite piece” to narrow down a collection
      1. Take photos of the rest and present in a special book
   3. If it is intended to be a gift; encourage giving it now rather than later
3. How to Sell
   1. Reconsider selling items on your own
   2. Consider an appraisal on high end items
4. How to Donate
   1. Understand how charities work
   2. Target recipients for speciality items such as musical instruments, etc
   3. Tag items as “free” and put them on the curb
5. What to Discard
   1. Anything stained, torn, or damaged
   2. Consider your time vs your loyalty to recycling
   3. Toss old and replaceable items without consultation
   4. You don’t have to haul it all away yourself; hire someone, such as 1-800-GotJunk to help
6. Get Help
   1. Bring in the pros like Caring Transitions to help manage the entire process

Whether they are staying on their own and simply moving to a smaller home where they can age in place or if an assisted living community with more hands on care is required helping seniors move requires research and conversations that must take place first.

---

---