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4 Tips for a Stress-Free Senior Move
Moving as a senior citizen takes some extra consideration. While we may become wiser in our old age, unfortunately, we’re not becoming any stronger. A little extra thought, care and help goes a long way in making the transition from a long-held family home into a downsized space like an apartment, condo or assisted living facility a little smoother.
Follow these four tips to understand some key areas for consideration during a senior move:
Tip #1. Find insured and licensed quality local movers
There is never a good time in your life to take a chance on cheap movers, but your senior years are definitely the worst possible time to take the risk.
Make sure that you are checking references on third-party sites like Google and the Better Business Bureau, as well as asking the company for their licenses and insurance information. Any reputable moving company will be happy to tout their credentials to you.
At Suddath®, we invite our customers to review our US Department of Transportation (US DOT) and local Motor Carrier (MC) numbers. We proudly maintain an A+ rating by the Better Business Bureau (BBB).
Tip #2. Use a company with dedicated Senior Move Managers
The National Association of Senior Move Managers (NASMM) has a mission to make moving easier for senior citizens. NASMM members work with regional and national moving companies, as well as storage solutions providers to make sure seniors and their families make a smooth transition.
Suddath is a proud partner of NASMM, and our affiliated Senior Move Managers® perform a variety of tasks and provide emotional and physical support while also being a friendly guide through the entire senior moving process.
- Sorting and packing personal possessions
- Space planning for the new location
- Organizing estate and tag sales
- Arranging for shipment of belongings
- Researching storage solutions
- Overseeing professional packing and moving
- Unpacking and setting up items in the new location
- Hanging pictures and organizing at the new location
- Helping to prepare the sale of the former location
- Communicating with family regarding the move
Most senior move managers have worked in health care, gerontology and nursing, and are familiar with and sensitive to the various needs of seniors during this time.
Tip #3. Take advantage of a packing service
Your family may be far away, and not only can packing be overwhelming or impossible to accomplish alone, but it may be dangerous as well. A moving company with a packing service will send professionals out to pack things quickly, and in an organized fashion so that there aren’t tripping hazards around.
Many moving companies, including Suddath, will give you packing service options such as either a full-service pack, or a partial pack. In the first, our experienced, background-checked and trained professional movers will come in to pack and wrap your home as if it were their own.
This option can take a lot of stress out of the process and keep everything moving smoothly and quickly. However, for those who would like to pack some things personally, there is the partial pack option. For this, a crew will pack only what you tell them to, including blanket wrapping and prepping furniture.
Tip #4. Understand your storage options and needs
When moving from a larger home into a smaller space, there will undoubtably be some issues when it comes to what is coming with you, and what can’t. A qualified Senior Move Manager will help you to plan out your new space to understand what will fit, but you may still come across some need for storage.
To simplify the process, make sure your moving company also provides reputable and easy storage options. When they are packing up and moving your things, both the move and storage can be taken care of in one action, without any confusion or coordinating between different services.
There are different types of packing services available if you’re looking for help. Feel free to contact us to talk about full, partial or do-it-yourself packing options for your next move. For more tips on moving a senior safely and comfortably, read our Moving Checklist for Seniors.