Relocating can be stressful. And not just that. It requires a lot of physical activity, which can be exhausting even for young people. So when it comes to moving seniors, there are a lot of things to take into consideration before you even start planning. You can always look online for help and tips considering packing and finding a moving company. But if the time isn’t on your side, and you don’t have the luxury of spending hours investigating, don’t worry. We already did it for you and made a list of different ways to help seniors move to a new home.
Give them time
When it comes to relocating your elderly loved ones, it is not just the physical activity that might be a problem. Changing homes and starting over can be very emotional and overwhelming. Especially when older. Changing the way of living, habits, and neighborhoods is not pleasant, so make sure to arm yourself with patience and understanding. It would mean a lot to them to have you by their side.
Ways to help seniors move to a new home
Don’t think that your presence and help is irrelevant. There are a lot of ways you can help them with their move, and here are just some of them:
Talk to them
When it comes for seniors to leave their homes, they can feel distressed and sad. Make sure that you are there for them, talk with them about their feelings and needs. Help them make the best choices regarding their future and their future home. Make them feel heard, involve them in making decisions. It won’t take a lot of your time, but it would mean a lot to them.
Plan ahead
Get a floor plan for the new place. That way you can talk to them about rearranging furniture, and they can get a visual of what they’re getting into. The best thing, if possible, would be to go and visit the new place earlier. Then you can measure everything and really get the feeling of the space, and see what needs to be taken care of, so you can plan it in advance.
Start early
Over the years people tend to collect a lot of stuff that they don’t actually need. So it’s probably best to take your time decluttering. There are a lot of things with sentimental value that might take some convincing to get rid of, so it’s best to start with the areas in the house that are rarely used. Maybe start with the basement, since usually there are a lot of things that we don’t use anymore.
Packing
As we already said, it requires a lot of time and physical activity. So maybe, the best way to help seniors, and yourself, is to seek experts’ assistance. It will pay up, trust us.
Help them settle stress-free
Try to spend the moving day with them. Help them unpack. Try to arrange the furniture the way it was placed in the old place. Display pictures and things that are important for them. It’s the little things that count.
Time to get going!
As we said, you can always look online for some tips for relocating, but we think that we wrote down the most important things to help seniors move to a new home. Now it’s your turn to apply them and help your loved ones.