Home Buying for Seniors

5 Ways for Seniors to Make Moving a Breeze

by Jim Vogel

Just because you want to age in place it doesn’t mean you have to age in the same place you’ve been for decades. For seniors, moving can be a huge benefit to their everyday life. For one, moving to a smaller, more accessible home can help seniors stay independent. Another reason seniors move is to be closer to friends and family. Whatever the reason, seniors must face the dreaded move before they can enjoy life in their new home.

But the big move doesn’t have to be a stressful event. Here are some ways to ensure your move is a breeze.

Tap your family for organizational purposes

Any good move starts with a solid base of organization. Without it, you’re left with chaos when you begin to unpack. Have your family help you organize while you pack. Label every single box with what’s inside and what room of the house it should be moved to. Note fragile items and which boxes are going to Goodwill/other donation centers (so you won’t waste time taking them to you new home).

Hire a moving company

This is a no-brainer. Even if you spend upwards of a few hundred dollars on movers, it’ll be well worth it in what you save in stress. There’s no reason to risk physical harm to save a few bucks. If you have a good amount of heavy or large items, just get some professional help. You can always shop around and compare prices.

Pack and move valuable items yourself

Even if you hire movers for the big stuff, you will want to keep your valuables (jewelry, documents, heirlooms, priceless family relics) close to the vest. This is not about distrusting your moving company (you should do your research and find one you do trust), although it does protect against the rare circumstance that a mover is less than honest. Rather it’s more about the preservation of their condition, notes the AARP:

“Don’t entrust anyone aside from yourself and your loved one with the packing and moving of heirlooms, jewelry and anything else of value. This may be difficult with larger items, but for smaller pieces that you can manage moving on your own, do so. This is not to suggest that moving companies will seek out valuables and accidently ‘misplace’ them, rather it’s to ensure your loved one’s treasures don’t get lost or broken in the move.”

Pack a necessities suitcase separate from your other moving boxes

“Set aside a few outfits, a set of dishes, towels and sheets for your first few days. Include a first aid kit and a flashlight or night light as well. This way, you’ll have what you need at your fingertips instead of having to dive into many different boxes to find what you need,” says GentleGiant.com.

Also in this suitcase? Your medicine and and medical supplies. You don’t want to have to scour boxes for those when the time arises.

Start packing early

If you think it will be stressful to have moving boxes sitting around your house for a while, trust me, the stress of trying to pack up decades worth of life’s accumulations in a few days will be much more stressful.

Start weeks in advance of your moving day and pack a little bit every day. Not only will this give you time to organize and downsize, but you’ll never overwork yourself. Before you know it, you’ll be all packed up and ready to go!

Follow these 5 tips and you’ll take some of the stress and anxiety out of moving. You can’t expect a move to be stress-free, but there’s no reason it has to be a dreadful occasion. In fact, as a senior, moving can be one of the most exhilarating moments of your later life. You should never feel like you have to stay put – there is plenty of help available if you need a change of scenery.

Photo Credit: Morguefile.com