After decades of living in their residence, you may find the time has come for your parents or perhaps other senior members of your family to relocate to an assisted-living facility or other new place they will be calling home. If so, you will need to take a few steps to ensure the relocation process goes smoothly. When you are helping seniors relocate, here are five tips to always keep in mind.
Plan Ahead
For many seniors, leaving a home they have lived in for decades can be very difficult emotionally. By planning ahead weeks or even months in advance, you will give the senior a chance to adjust to the idea of living somewhere else, which will help them make an easier transition when moving day finally arrives.
Hire Professionals
While you may be able to help your senior family member move on your own, it always goes much smoother when you hire professional movers to handle the heavy lifting and other details that always come with moving. In fact, there are now moving companies that specialize in helping seniors, so seek out these companies well in advance of moving day.
Involve the Senior
Rather than have your senior family member feel as if they have little if any control over their situation, make sure they are actively involved in the moving process. This can include getting their input as to which items hold the most sentimental value, how they want their new residence to be arranged as they get moved in, and other important areas related to their move.
Give Them Space
Even if a senior is looking forward to moving to a new residence, moving day will nonetheless evoke plenty of emotions along the way. Since their current home is filled with decades of memories, give them some space to say goodbye to their current home in whatever way they see fit. To help with this, be willing to listen to their stories as you pack up pictures and other items.
Pack Some Essentials the Night Before
The night before moving day, make sure you pack a box that is filled with essentials that the senior will need for the next few days until they get settled in at their new home. This box should contain their medications, any medical devices they use, toiletries, and anything else you deem to be important.
By keeping these five tips in mind and putting yourself in your senior loved one’s place, moving day will be much easier for you and them as well.
Written by: Lizzie Weakley
About the author: Lizzie Weakley is a freelance writer from Columbus, Ohio. In her free time, she enjoys the outdoors and walks in the park with her husky, Snowball.