Although we primarily assist companies with employee relocation, we are frequently asked about senior move management services. Senior move management exists to help seniors enjoy a peaceful transition from their beloved home. There are few things more conflicting for seniors than the thought of leaving their home.
On one side, you have hundreds of memories, keepsakes, and the comfort of knowing that you’re safe in your home. On the other hand, there are many challenges that owning a home presents to seniors. Most seniors in America prefer “aging in place” as opposed to a retirement community or smaller apartment.
That said, the time does come for many where it’s time to move on, leave behind what isn’t valuable to you, and take what you can. For this, senior move management services can help. These people are committed to helping you experience the smoothest transition possible with fewer bottlenecks and less financial pressure.
Senior Move Management Services
Why types of services does a senior move manager offer? They can help you with one or more of the following:
- Developing a strategy for packing, storing, or throwing out your belongings
- Organizing, sorting, and helping you determine what is important
- Putting together the ideal destination for you
- Arranging for the disposal or sale of things you don’t want through auctions and estate sales
- Interviewing, scheduling, and supervising moving companies
- Packing and preparing of boxes
- Unpacking and setting up the new home
- Assisting you in your new home by showing you local supermarkets, stores, and other important landmarks
- Selling of your old home and working with the realtor on your behalf
These are only some of the services senior move management companies provide. You can pick and choose what you find most valuable based on your needs and budget. When we moved my grandmother from her home, she had an entire lifetime worth of stuff. Much of which could have been thrown away or sold but she demanded to keep the majority of it. This is another area where senior move managers come into play.
If you’re planning this on behalf of a parent, family member, or friend, you might be worried about their willingness to part with their things. It’s understandable because they may feel like they’re throwing their life away and are being forced to do something they don’t want to do.
A senior relocation specialist can act as a “middleman” in this situation and provide the necessary counsel that your family member may need to realize that they can’t keep everything.
While we weren’t able to get my grandmother to part with everything, the specialist was much better equipped to handle it than I was.
Who Should Hire a Senior Move Manager?
While I did provide you with an example, you might not be sure you or your family member need these types of services. Of course, moving in general is an expense so hiring a senior move management company will be another expense. That said, hiring a professional can actually help reduce costs in many ways because they can accomplish steps much faster and do this all the time so they understand the process.
Here are some examples of people and situations that may merit a call to a professional:
- Older adults want to downsize because their house is too much to maintain
- Family members with older parents/adults who need a smaller place to live
- Bank and trust officers
- Geriatric departments
- Attorneys
- Social workers
- Senior living professionals
- Physicians
- Real estate agents
5 Reasons to Hire a Senior Move Manager
If you’re on the fence about whether or not to hire a senior move manager, here are some of the reasons why people do it.
1. Senior move managers are experienced
Few people can say that they’ve moved more than 3-4 times so no one has the same level of experience as a moving professional. Plus, the National Association of Move Managers requires them to have liability insurance, take classes in ethics, and sign a contract before proceeding with the move.
2. You can downsize with your dignity in-tact
As I told you, when we moved my grandmother, there were many choice words said that we all regret simply because it’s a stressful thing. I was much younger at that time and hadn’t worked in the industry so it was difficult for me to understand the immense stress that my grandmother was going through. Keep in mind that seniors are from a different generation that wasn’t quite as rich on experiences but more so on belongings and “things.” These things are very important.
Having a senior move management company will help take a big load off the backs of everyone involved. Whether you’re the family member assisting with the move or the senior looking to hire someone, you can move with dignity and the company will provide a way to make things work for you.
3. Senior move managers prepare your emotionally
It can be easy to get caught up in the whole process that you forget what is actually happening. You’re moving into an assisted living or a nursing home or you’re the one moving your senior into one of those places. That’s a hard thing to do. Many people feel guilt about moving parents into senior living facilities but a senior move manager can help ease some of that guilt.
Keep in mind, they do this all the time and they see a wide variety of scenarios play out. They will listen to you and help set you up for a smooth and seamless transition. When everything goes well, it can make the senior feel a lot better about the process.
4. Senior moving services can help you save money
Managers can help reduce costs by ensuring that everything goes well from the beginning. This is especially true for families that might have geography keeping them apart. Instead of making multiple flights, driving long distances, paying for hotel rooms, and carrying the weight on your back; hire a senior moving management company. With the use of technology, you can see everything that is happening at home no matter where you are.
These professionals also understand how to set up moving sales so you can get the most out of all the stuff you’re not keeping. Once it’s determined what is being kept and what can go, they’ll set up a sale and handle everything for you from planning and pricing to promoting and selling.
5. Moving managers help anyone
I’ve seen situations where the person being moved suffered many losses over her life and ended up developing a hoarding problem as a result–that’s okay. What might seem like a mountain to climb is nothing more than a day at the office for senior moving managers. They’ve seen it before and they’ll work with anyone no matter what.
Distance is also not a factor. If you’re trying to move across the country, local managers will help make that a reality for you. Many of them even check in after the move to make sure that everything is going well.
How Much Do Senior Move Specialists Cost?
Fees will vary dramatically based on geographic location, the amount of work, and what days of the week the work is done. It’s difficult to provide an estimate because the hourly rate can range anywhere from $40-140 per hour.
Why Are Senior Move Management Services Different From Regular Movers?
Instead of going through all of this, why not just hire a moving company? Most of them pack and unpack stuff so why do you have to go to such lengths?
There are a few very important differences between movers and senior moving specialists. Movers aren’t developing a plan for you, they’re not invested in you and your goals, and they don’t sympathize with the things a senior goes through when downsizing.
That’s not to say they’re not great people, movers have a very important role in the marketplace but their job is different.
Senior moving experts will work with local movers to help coordinate everything and they help with the emotional aspect of moving as well. They help seniors make lifestyle decisions, work with realtors, and much much more. They do a lot more than pack and unpack your stuff.