Senior Moving Services | Moving Services for Senior Citizens

The Importance of Downsizing

Most people tend to have many more belongings that they actually need. After all, we simply tend to accumulate things over our lifetime. When preparing for a move to a senior care facility, it is important to take some time and think about downsizing.

A good way to start is to have your loved one determine what items are most important, which are keepers, and what can be donated, sold, or given away. This can be a difficult task, particularly when it comes to sentimental items. Your loved one may prefer to give many things to family members. Other items may be things they want to bring with them to their new home.

Starting this process a few months before the move can be good to give time to think about things as well as to work through all the belongings. The process can be quite time consuming in some situations such as if they have lived in the same place for a long time. If they have moved fairly recently, like downsizing from a home to an apartment, the process may go more quickly.

Pack a Bag of Critical Items

A good tip that we often share with clients who are moving to an assisted living facility is to pack a bag or two with critical items that they will need to use on a daily basis. This includes a few days’ worth of clothes, medications, and important documents.

Having these items move with you means you always have access to them. You also won’t have to worry about certain things becoming lost amidst a lot of boxes. This is an effective strategy for any type of move, but particularly when moving to a senior care facility.

Pack Mementos & Family Heirlooms Together

Being organized when packing is definitely something we’re experts on at Square Cow Movers. One of the most important tips we share with clients who are packing their own belongings is to pack important things like photographs, family heirlooms, and other meaningful mementos together.

These are often things you want to unpack fairly early in the process, so being able to locate them is important. When you have a loved one moving into a senior care facility, this is very important as decorating the space with some of their favorite memories and photos can begin to help make their new home feel like home.

Setting up a checkup with your primary care physician prior to moving to a senior care facility can be a useful thing to do for several reasons. First, they can assess any potential health issues that may need to be addressed. Secondly, you can make sure all of your prescriptions are in order with refills needed.

This is a particularly important thing to do if you are moving farther than just a town away. If you have a long move ahead of you, you’ll need to find a new primary care physician and potentially new specialists. Thus, getting caught up with any appointments with existing doctors and getting copies of your medical records will help leave you prepared for life after your move.

Decide How You Will Move

When a loved one is getting ready to move to an assisted living center, there are many things that need to be done including tackling the logistics of moving. If you are planning to do the move yourself with a few friends or family members, you’ll want to get moving supplies, give yourself time to pack, and figure out how to transport everything.

Of course, many people prefer to focus on other tasks and spending time with their family member during the transition. In that case, hiring professional movers to either transport your belongings or do it all is a good way to go. It is important to find a caring, professional company that will listen to you. Square Cow Movers is a family-owned business that would be happy to help you.

Help Ensure a Healthy Transition

Leaving your home and moving to a new place can be difficult. After all, there are often many positive memories tied to a home. It is normal for your loved one to experience some sadness and perhaps even a bit of difficulty with the transition. There are many things that can be done to help promote a healthy transition.

Helping your loved one meet their caregivers at the facility and encouraging them to make friends with other residents can help. Be sure to assist them becoming familiar with schedules and procedures. Encourage them to take part in some of the activities and classes that are offered as well. Spending a lot of time with your loved one, particularly in the first few weeks, can also be immensely helpful in providing a sense of familiarity while they begin exploring their new home.

Final Thoughts

We recognize that there are many things that go into moving to a senior care facility. If you are assisting a loved one with this process, we would be happy to help with your moving needs. Square Cow Movers provide a variety of types of moving services to meet your needs. We understand the importance of family and are here to reduce the stress, allowing you to focus more on what matters – your family.