Moving is stressful, that’s a fact of life. When moving seniors, there may be an extra degree of anxiety associated with the experience. Most seniors have lived in their home for 40 or 50 years you can appreciate that the idea of moving can be overwhelming. Regardless of whether the seniors are moving into a condo, a retirement community or an assisted living facility, planning is the key to making the move as stress free as possible.

It’s preferable that a family member assist the senior in getting ready for the move. Purging household items that have been collected over decades takes time and effort. If there isn’t a family member who can help with this, consider hiring someone to help with the sorting. There are several companies who specialize in this area; be sure to check out their credentials and track record before bringing them into the senior’s home.

Categorize Items

Deciding what to do with the contents of the senior’s home is a big job so getting started as far in advance as possible will make things a little easier. Like with any move, sorting by category makes the most sense:

  • Furniture and other items that will be kept and moved to the senior’s new home
  • Furniture and other items that will be given to family members and/or friends
  • Items that are suitable for sale
  • Items that will be donated to a charity
  • Items that are no longer useable and need to be disposed of

Generally, when seniors move their new accommodations will be much smaller than their existing home so only a limited amount of possessions can move with them. In some cases, they may decide to purchase furniture that will fit better in their new home. Storage may also be quite limited so it’s important to carefully choose what will be moved.

Selling Items

There are several options for selling items. On-line is one option. If there are some genuine antiques or very fine furniture and other valuable items, holding an estate sale in the home or at an auction house may result in higher sale revenues. Just remember you pay a commission to the person or company who is handling the sale for you to market and conduct the sale on your behalf.

A traditional garage sale is another option but unless there are family or friends who can assist, most seniors will find this choice to be too much work. Donating to a charity will be easier.

Choose the Best Moving Company

A key component for a stress- free move for seniors is the right moving company. Choosing a company like Premiere Van Lines makes a lot of sense. They will assign a professional moving consultant who will work closely with the seniors to help them plan each stage of the move. These individuals have the experience and empathy needed to reassure the senior that everything will be taken care of to their satisfaction.

From professional packing and unpacking, to arranging the transportation of items being given to family and delivery of items to designated charities, Premiere Van Lines can coordinate moving seniors with minimal stress. The moving crews will have good customer service skills to make the move as stress free as possible.

For more information on Premiere’s program designed to move seniors, contact Premiere Van Lines at 1-877-671-6683.