What Is Senior Relocation? 

Moving elderly parents can be a challenging process. However, senior moving need not be too demanding if you have the proper organization. A variety of senior relocation services are available to make the process easier and guide you and the seniors you care about with meticulousness and patience. Here is the senior relocation checklist you need for a smooth, comfortable senior move. 

How to Prepare for a Senior Move 

Before you dive into the moving process, you will need to account for every preparation step you must take. Here's a list of 15 things you will want to do to plan the senior relocation. 

1. Have a Moving Checklist 

Your senior relocation checklist should contain the steps you must take:

• Two Months Before the Move
• One Month Before the Move
• One Week Before the Move
• Moving Day 

In this checklist, you will need to mention every task that will have to be completed to facilitate the move. Record the necessary packing process, components of the move, such as organizing a yard sale or obtaining insurance on the new place.

2. Knowing When It's Time to Downsize 

It may take a while to establish how to convince your elderly parents to move, but you will want to start by highlighting the benefits of downsizing. Seniors typically struggle to manage, clean, and maintain larger properties, and the empty nests may feature a lot of unused space. Here are a few signs a senior should think of moving:

• There Are Unused Rooms
• Your Yard Gets The Best Of You
• You're Too Far From Family 
• Just Too Much Stuff Lying Around 
• Their Home Is A Goldmine 

3. How to Talk to Seniors About Moving – Communicate Consistently with Elderly Parents 

Elderly parents may need time to internalize the idea of moving from the home they have known and loved for years. Therefore, you will need to be extremely patient and encourage two-way communication. Homeowners should feel free to express their qualms about moving, and you should take the time to appease each worry individually. You will need to let their thoughts sit and mold themselves around your proposed idea, so try not to rush them into acquiescence. 

4. Paying a Visit to the New Home

The first visit to their potential new home should be an exciting and convincing one to convince seniors to move. It will be your responsibility to get them excited about the new place and all its possibilities. 

5. Researching Local Moving Companies 

The moving company you entrust with the senior relocation can define the quality of the experience they have. You will need to find teams of local professionals that offer structured and organized moving processes and rates that match your budget. You might also want to hire a senior relocation consultant who will be able to guide you along the way. 

6. Take Health Precautions 

The current pandemic, compounded with senior individual's greater vulnerability to viruses, fatigue, and stress, requires extra precaution in moving seniors. You will need to ensure that your senior relocation company can fulfill necessary Covid precautions, is equipped with the required protective gear, and can practice social distancing during the moving process. 

7. Sort and Organize

The equipment and furniture you will move will need to be sorted according to their fragility, weight, and value. The sorting process will need the guidance of the moving seniors, who will help you categorize each item. 

8. Mage All Your Mails and Payments

You will need to change the mailing address on all relevant documentation to the new location, make the appropriate payments (new council taxes, relevant insurance) ahead of the move to ensure a smooth transition. 

9. Booking Your Movers

Your movers will need to be booked at least a month ahead of the moving date to ascertain the specific moving needs of the seniors involved and the home they will be moving from. They may need to establish things like the presence of antiques, large objects, or rooms with compromised access.

10. Preparing for Packing

Preparing for packing means having all the necessary tools (cardboard boxes, bubble wrap, tape, scissors) to pre-pack fragile items or furniture that may need to go into storage.

11. Keeping Your Moving Day Safe

Your moving day should be set rigidly, and you should ensure that any other important responsibility is tended to in advance. Your moving date needs to be available solely for moving, as this is generally a day-long process. 

12. Settle and Celebrate Your Senior Move 

A senior move is an exciting occasion; it opens up a new life chapter for people at a time when they will most benefit from moving in a smaller, more comfortable space. 

13. Managing Your Extra Belongings 

Extra belongings may need to be placed in storage. This will allow you peace of mind to decide what to do with the items or to keep them till they are passed down as heirlooms. 

14. Cleaning and Repair 

Before a home can be bought, it has to be in the appropriate condition. Therefore, changes may have to be made soon after the move to repair broken items or to update appliances. Paint may also need a new coat to be enticing to potential tenants or homebuyers.  

15. Enlist Relatives 

Enlisting relatives is part of standard relocation assistance for seniors and can allow them to regain their social lives soon after moving. It will enable them to cement themselves into the new home. 

How to Make Moves Manageable with Professional Movers Near You? 

If you're looking to facilitate your senior moving process, you'll need to find qualified professionals within your area. It's not enough to research "senior move managers near me" you will need to meet with the movers in advance, discuss a quotation, agree on a moving date, and establish an approximation of the number of items you will have to move.

Your negotiations should mention the specific needs of the seniors moving. For instance, if a person is wheelchair-bound or another has a hearing aid, this will have to be mentioned to the moving team to ensure they deliver appropriate service.