Many Lehigh Valley residents through the generations choose to remain in or near their childhood neighborhood. Few people remain in their childhood or young-married house but move locally. Moving, even locally, can be stressful at any age. There are probably more large and small details involved than in any other life event.
There are stressors that are unique to seniors who want to—or have to—move for personal, health, or financial reasons. It is difficult to leave a home filled with memories and mementos, favorite or unneeded furnishings, and neighborhood friends. It can be overwhelming and easy to forget important details. Who will help share the burden?
Caring Transitions is a full-service senior move management company. We can help with all aspects of the transition—downsizing, packing and unpacking, relocation, and online auctions and liquidation. Here are some careful planning tips forged from our years of experience facilitating smooth transitions for seniors.
Determine your moving date and set it up with your movers. This may seem obvious, but it sets a goal and avoids last-minute craziness. Make sure other deadlines (closings, sales, etc.) are in place first.
Create a moving checklist using the tips below and other considerations.
Sort and organize Many homes employ the “kitchen drawer” method of storage. Similar items may be scattered in different areas of the house, garage, shed, etc. Find items that belong together, like decorations, knick-knacks, tools, clothing, etc., and put them together. This will make it easier to find and store these items when you unpack.
Space planning involves getting a floor plan or taking measurements of the new space to determine what will be moving. Many people take too many items, making the new space unsafe, unattractive, or useless. With careful planning and working with your senior advisor, this can be minimized.
Label all items that will be moving. It may seem simple at first, but trust us, remembering or telling others what goes with you and what gets sold, donated, or tossed will become overwhelming.
Downsizing and decluttering mean that items that are not moving to the new location need a new home. People can give items to family and friends, donate them, or have an online auction or yard sale. Items that are not sellable or donatable will need to be disposed of. This may mean researching local liquidators, and Caring Transitions can help.
Shred all documents no longer needed. Identity theft is a very prevalent, real threat to everyone. Any documents that have personal or account information and are no longer needed for tax, legal, or personal purposes should be shredded with a cross-cut shredder. A large part of ID theft is fed by documents found in ordinary trash receptacles.
Pack an overnight bag with clothes and toiletries for moving day. Once your personal items are packed, they are packed. Take a bag with you with items needed during the day and night, including medications, soap, toothpaste, phone and contacts, etc. Pretend you are going on a brief vacation!
Medications, jewelry, and high-value items need to stay with you. Do not pack these in boxes or give them to the movers!
Important documents should be easily accessible and properly labeled. Chances are that you will need certain papers well before you have everything unpacked, so keep them handy.
If you are packing on your own, use sturdy boxes, and don’t stuff them so full that they can’t close properly or are too heavy. Boxes need to be able to be stacked, so they can not be bulging, especially if there are breakables inside. Label them with the room they are going to, and label them FRAGILE with a red marker if needed. You will soon tire of the movers asking, “Where does this go?”
Remember, not only is your stuff moving, but so are you! If needed, arrange for transportation to the new location.
Caring Transitions’ senior moving specialists are trained to make the relocation process as smooth as possible. We help seniors through the transition of moving, including downsizing, estate cleanout, and senior resettling. Our senior relocation services address details important to helping seniors feel comfortable in their new environment.
Can Caring Transitions help if I move out of the area?
There are about 375 franchises across the country that can work together. Sometimes we pack them up, help set up a mover, then the other franchise unpacks and gets the client settled in. Sometimes we send them and sometimes we receive them.
CTBids (ctbids.com) is our own auction site that allows us to use a huge database and ship items all over the country.
Contact Caring Transitions of Lehigh Valley at 610-904-8093 or caringtransitionsoflehighvalley.com.
