Is it time to move your parents?

As we get older, the dream is always to stay in our home, where we built our life, right? Some might choose a simpler lifestyle by downsizing into a retirement community. Experts will tell you that it’s important to be having these conversations with our parents before the crisis. So hint: start talking about it now!

Nearly 70% of households age 85 and over live in a house that lacks essential safety features(*).

Recently we were hired to help a client move her mother from independent living to assisted living. Her mom, let’s call her Barbara, has memory issues and there were concerns she should be under supervised care. The orders had been placed with the doctor and it was time to start making the move; however, the daughter, let’s call her Donna, didn’t have the flexibility to manage such a big project on her own, so she reached out for help.

Creating the Plan

The goal is to always be client-focused and make the process seamless for all parties. It was clear Donna wanted her mom to have a seamless transition to her new place and because of her memory challenges, it was critical that we were able to replicate her environment as much as possible.

Barbara was going from a large 3-bedroom apartment to a much smaller 1-bedroom apartment, so we needed to identify important items for the move, and do some serious downsizing. Although Barbara had already downsized once before, there were still a lot of items to sort through to determine the items that needed to be saved for the family, donated or could fit in the new location. We wanted to pack the existing apartment on Day 1 and have her settled into her new apartment on Day 2. We made our lists and prepared for moving day.

Moving Day

With a team in place, we arrived at the apartment ready to begin packing. Everything was inventoried, boxed, and labeled for its next destination. The following morning, the movers arrived and by 4 pm that day, Barbara walked into her new apartment unpacked and ready for dinner.

The end result was a happy Barbara and relieved Donna. It’s so important to have these conversations with our parents. We know that it’s difficult but if you make it a part of the conversation along the way, it might not be.

Here’s what Donna said:

I would highly recommend Megan Spears; she was fantastic!   Her team carefully packed and sorted my mom’s clothes and hung them in the closet in the same order as they were previously.  Anything she didn't need was boxed and taken to a local charity.  

My mom was thrilled with the result; she could hardly believe her eyes when she walked into her new home and found all of her favorite things in the correct place; even the top of her dresser was laid out the same way.  

This service was invaluable, and the cost was reasonable given it would have taken me a month or more to sort through everything and make all the decisions myself.  The best part is that a very stressful move turned into a lovely transition, with my mom and me spending a quiet day together in my yard while they did all the work! 

I had been anxiously avoiding making this move with my mom because I could not figure out how I would manage all the details and not upset my mom.  It was great to have a neutral third party, efficiently sort through all the junk and keep only the most personal and worthwhile possessions.   

The end result is a neat and tidy apartment for my mom and peace of mind for me.  If you are caring for elderly parents and need to move them out of a home they have occupied for years I would highly recommend you call Megan; you won't be disappointed!