Moving is a major task, and seniors often face additional challenges their younger counterparts don’t need to think about. Things such as downsizing, planning, and making the actual move can be particularly stressful and physically difficult for seniors. As a result, they may need assistance. Here are eight expert tips to help your favorite senior pack for a move.
1. Break Packing Into Smaller Tasks
Completing a large undertaking like moving or downsizing can be overwhelming if you view it in its entirety. It becomes more manageable when you break the job down into smaller pieces. Often seniors have lived in the same home for years, so it may take some time to work through it all.
2. Consider Eliminating Some Non-Essential Stuff
Since many seniors have lived in their homes for many years, they have probably accumulated many possessions. They might need to downsize to move to a smaller place or relocate to a senior community. Decluttering is tedious work and with numerous decisions to be made. This isn’t always easy, especially since people tend to become attached to items. You can assist by sitting down with them to help decide what to do with their belongings. If they have a hard time parting with their belongings, consider a storage unit until they are ready to let go of their favorite things.
3. Get Layout for New Home
See if you can obtain access to the senior’s new home so you can take measurements. Remember to check closets and other storage areas to see how much space there will be. Having all this specific information about the new home helps with the downsizing and packing processes because it’ll give you and your senior an idea of what will fit and what won’t.
4. Start With Large Items
Help your senior decide what to do with bulky items such as tables, chairs, sofas, extra beds, dressers, and any other large pieces of furniture. Chances are these all won’t fit in the new place, so have them decide which ones are necessary and sell, donate, give away, or store the rest.
5. Pack Room-By-Room
Packing belongings room-by-room makes the task of boxing up items less overwhelming and makes it easier to organize. Label each moving carton so that the movers know where to place them at the new home. This process will make it easier for your senior to locate items when getting settled in and unpacking. This task often makes sense to hire a qualified and experienced mover that offers packing as a service.
6. Take Photos of Electronics
Managing the wires, cables, plugs, and other details associated with electronics is confusing. Be sure to take photos of each configuration for televisions, cable boxes, computers, printers, and any other items that will need to be reconnected. This way, either you, the person moving, or another individual can quickly get things set back up at the other end of the move.
7. Chart Important Dates on a Calendar
If your senior is used to smartphones, set digital reminders on their phone’s calendar. If not, get a good, old-fashioned paper calendar and highlight important dates for tasks. This should include utility turn on/shut off dates, mail forwarding, moving day, and any other notifications you need to send out as moving day approaches.
8. Pack Overnight Bag
As moving day approaches, be sure to make a list of all essential items, such as medications, that will be needed right away and pack these in an overnight bag.
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