Often senior citizens are settled and comfortable in their homes. For a variety of reasons, they may need to move. Perhaps it’s time to downsize, or the lease can no longer be renewed anymore. Whatever the reason, seniors tend to avoid change, and it can feel overwhelming and unsettling having to leave home and move to a new place.
At Next Level Removals, we understand. This is why we have prepared the following tips for how to help seniors pack for a move.
Make A Thorough Plan
Before jumping into such a life-altering decision, it’s best to make a thorough plan. How much of the moving process can your family and friends help with? Would you rather hire professional removalists? Do you need assistance with packing? Will you be putting any items in storage?
After working out what needs doing, next work backward from your moving date. This lets you create a timeline of everything that needs to happen before moving.
Start To Pack Early
It’s never too early to begin preparing for a move. If you are still unsure of the exact moving date, or your elderly parents do not know where they will be living, it’s always a good idea to start with the process.
Begin with any areas which tend to accumulate extra items over time. Spaces like a closet, or garage tend to fill up faster than we realise. Also, go through paper records and get rid of anything which is no longer needed.
Divide Things Into Smaller Tasks
Trying to accomplish a huge task like the entire moving process can be overwhelming if looking at it overall., But by breaking the task down into smaller pieces, it suddenly seems more manageable.
For seniors, it may have taken a lifetime to accumulate all the belongings they have. It’s going to take a lot of time and effort to sort through it all.
Help them start with one small area, perhaps a drawer, or a cabinet. Then select the next small area to move onto. By doing a small amount each day, it makes the end goal more achievable.
Save Memories
While sorting through belongings, you will find that some are easy to get rid of, but others have huge sentimental and personal value for seniors.
People keep possessions for their meaning and memories, but not for the value of the item itself.
When we see an item, it usually triggers such memories. It’s important to ask, is there another way to preserve the memory rather than the physical item? It may be difficult, but if there is limited space, it will be required to make some difficult decisions.
Also, factor in the cost of moving. The more things which need to be moved, or kept in storage, then the more expensive it will be.
Taking photos of items is a great way to remember them. Seeing the picture triggers the same memories and emotions that looking at the physical item does. Try this tactic with a few things which are not very important, and then gradually move up to more significant items.
Looking for a patient removalist who has helped many senior people through the difficult change process? Next Level Removals can help. Contact us on 1300 005 400 or online.
