 *Requires Adobe Acrobat | Le Bleu Chateau Community Service Program |  |
*Requires Adobe Acrobat | Le Bleu Chateau Community Service Program | |
Whether it is to the desire to enjoy retirement, the opportunity to simplify daily routine or the need to have personal care available at their fingertips, many seniors are on the move. Their destinations are retirement communities, senior apartments, assisted living facilities and residential care homes.
For some, this is the beginning of a “new life”. For others, it's the end of the “good life”. Whether they take the positive or negative perspective, the change created by the moving process can be stressful. The senior may have lived in the same home for the past 20 or 30 years (or more)...and the home is filled with a lifetime of treasures and memories. They will probably have to “scale down” because all their treasures will not fit into their new home. They will be changing a daily routine that they feel comfortable with (even if the routine is not in their best interest).
To ease some of the tension, it is recommended to involve family and friends in the moving process, especially when they feel the old home contains some of their treasures and memories. However, if they cannot do it all or they are not objective, consider hiring professionals who specialize in senior services – movers, relocation companies, geriatric care managers or social workers. In addition to their services, senior specialists offer the benefit of past experience and emotional support.
“A good mover will be compassionate and aware of the mental fatigue that seniors feel on moving day.” says Scott Harkness, a relocation specialist for Suddath Relocation Systems in La Mirada, CA. He feels “the jarring of so many memories is the key cause”. Here are his hints for choosing a mover.
