After years of helping families and businesses move to new locations, we have recognized how…
For your elderly parents, a relocation can be a wake-up call that they are getting up there in years. It’s uncomfortable to realize that your age is at last catching up to you and that you’re now less capable of taking care of yourself than you used to be. For these reasons, moving your parents to a new house can be a trying time, emotionally and physically.
To help you navigate this new life stage, we’ve assembled this guide to share our best tips (learned over years of moving experience) for helping your parents move.
How To Move Your Parents Out Of Their Home
How to Convince Your Elderly Parents that It’s Time to Move
If your elderly parents need to be relocated for their health and well-being but are unwilling or reluctant to do so, you need to figure out how to gently convince them that it’s time to move.
Here are a couple of tips for convincing hesitant elderly parents that moving is in their best interest:
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- Help them to see all the benefits of relocating It’s probably difficult for your parents to perform everyday tasks such as getting dressed, exercising, eating regular meals, etc. Motivate them to move be explaining how the new location will make these tasks easier for them to do.
- Be empathetic and understanding moving will be hard on your elderly parents’ emotions, especially if they’ve lived in the same location for multiple decades. Take the time to listen to them as they express their feelings over the thought of leaving their home and offer your sympathy and support. Once you’ve helped them through their emotions, they will be more likely to agree to a move.
7 Tips to Help Relocate Your Elderly Parents Out Of Their Home
Once your elderly parents have decided to relocate, the next step is helping them have the easiest move possible.
Some tips for hiring a senior moving company are:
1. Plan Ahead
This is perhaps the most important part when it comes to relocating your elderly parents. Planning ahead is the single greatest step towards a stress-free move and could potentially reduce costs if you need to book a moving truck or packing services.
2. Take Your Parent’s Opinion Into Consideration
Moving can be an emotionally charged time for your parents, so it’s important to consider and respect their opinions whenever possible.
If your elderly parents are extremely organized or only feel comfortable with specific moving logistics, patiently listen to them and consider what they are saying.
3. Contact Relatives and Request Help
Moving requires a lot of effort, and you can easily find yourself over your ears in packing and overseeing the move. That’s why we suggest getting in touch with relatives and enlisting their help, especially if you are moving your elderly parents to be nearer to the family and have other relatives living close by. Ask them to assist you with the packing, planning, or transporting of your elderly parents’ possessions.
4. Scheduling and Organization
Organization and scheduling are vital for making the move as smooth as possible. Double-check with the helpers you’ve enlisted and make sure professional packers are available before moving day arrives. This will help you avoid schedule mix-ups and ensure that the job will be executed on schedule.
5. Repairs and Maintenance
Whether your elderly parents are moving from an owned or rented house, it’s a good idea to do a walk-through and check for any items that need to be maintained or repaired. If you are planning on selling the house, this will help it fetch a higher resale price, rather than just trying to resell it as is. And, if your parents live in a rented place, this will help them get their damage deposit back.
6. Dedicate a Full Day to Packing
Dedicate a full day (or two) to packing. Don’t be overly ambitious and think that packing will be a two-hour task. Once you get started, you’ll realize just how much stuff there is you hadn’t planned on organizing and packing. Enlist family members or hire a professional moving service to help you pack your elderly parents’ belongings for their move.
7. Work with a Professional Moving Crew
Working with a professional moving crew to help your elderly parents relocate will take a lot of the stress off of you as the moving coordinator, and will also save you a lot of time.
Here at On The Go Moving, our professional movers have seen every kind of move and are sensitive to the specific moving needs of elderly folks. Our crew can complete the packing and moving process quickly and has the equipment necessary to transport valuables with care.
For elderly parents who are relocating but choose to hold onto more belongings than will fit in their new home, we also offer storage services to keep valued family items safe and secure.
We’re Here To Help You Move Your Elderly Parents
If you are preparing to assist your elderly parents with an upcoming move, we at On The Go Moving are here to give you the professional help you need to see the job done.
Contact us today to have your moving questions answered or to speak with one of our moving professionals about our packing, moving, and storage services.
