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By Diane Bjorkman Many seniors have no trouble entertaining the idea of living in one of the many senior housing options which exist in the Twin Cities. Many feel it’s time to scale down, move to a small apartment closer to the children and try to steer clear of the crowded and often icy Minnesota highways. But once the decision to move is made, it’s not always easy for older adults to pull up roots. Between the emotional aspects of leaving a home of many years, increasing health issues, downsizing and the task of sifting through years of accumulating “treasures,” the task of making the move itself can be daunting! So, how does one take the sting out of the moving process? Start planning early and explore the many resources that can support you on your path. As the owner of a Twin Cities Senior Move Management company, I have assisted thousands of older adults with their moves since our inception in 1990. Nationally, senior move management is a rapidly growing industry. Although every senior move management company has it’s own personality and twist on services, the majority assist with the entire move process from sorting, getting rid of unwanted items, packing, overseeing the movers, unpacking and resettling. One can expect a complimentary visit, answers to questions and concerns and a written estimate on the cost of having the company handle all the details of the move. No matter how out of the ordinary your situation may seem to you, any experienced company has most likely run across a similar situation before and will have the resources to eliminate your issue as a potential “stressor” in your move. Quality packing is an art and experienced move managers should know what to do with crystal, fine china and chandeliers, but in addition to the expertise of the manual labor, look for honesty and compassion, and integrity, as this process can be delicate, involving not only a physical component (manual labor), but often a large emotional factor and a dash (sometimes more or sometimes less) of family dynamics. For older adults, making a move almost always involves downsizing. Downsizing from a home of 30, 40 or even 50 years often involves a sorting task of countless boxes of belongings and even more emotional baggage. The key to sorting is to start early, break the sorting into phases and don’t get bogged down by the minutia. We suggest a green, yellow and red sticker process to our clients. Like a stoplight, things with a green sticker are a “go”, and will find their way to the new residence. The items that one is ambivalent about should receive a yellow sticker and a final decision on those items can come down the road. Those that receive a red sticker are the items that will not be going. Once people realize that final decisions on all items don’t have to be made at that very moment, it frees them up and the process can continue. Older adults making a transition often require passing along, in one way or another, a large percentage of their belongings. Some may feel as if their memories are being taken from them. How does one tell mom and dad that they need to pass along their oversized dining room table that holds countless memories of family gatherings? The answer is to find a “home” for items that holds value to the “donator,” whether it be financial or emotional. For some of our clients, we may try to locate another collector who would cherish those Hummel’s, Delft blue dishes or gun collection as much as they did. In addition, donating items to one of the numerous museums in the Twin Cities (e.g. Historical Society, Swedish Institute, etc.) can offer a great sense of pride. Gifting family heirlooms to children and seeing their enjoyment of its use in their home can also be very satisfying. Charitable organizations, which are plentiful, welcome a wide variety of items. For those of you who are trying to leave a smaller footprint on our planet, Anoka County Integrated Waste Management puts out a publication called Shop Used First (763-323-5730), which encourages recycling items through a variety of businesses and organizations that accept them for resale or perhaps might even offer a financial return. For about 10% of our clients, who have a great deal of valuable items that they’d like to sell, we bring in an estate sale planner. On the other hand, for those that don’t want the traffic in their home, consignment at shops sprinkled throughout the Twin Cities are a good option. They generally take about 30% of the revenue of the sale. Growing in popularity are numerous Internet options. The hugely popular bidding website of www.ebay.com allows thousands to view an item and hopefully, bring a fair and accurate value. Another popular local Internet site is www.craigslist.com, where one posts items at a set dollar amount, often along with a digital photo and then waits for the calls to come in. Oftentimes, our clients find themselves with items that can be more challenging to sell, such as old upright pianos, or vintage, large and bulky stereo systems. Often (but not always), if it becomes next to impossible to find open arms for these items, one can resort to www.twincitiesfreemarket.org or www.freecycle.org, which are websites that offer a free posting of items to be given away. All you do is sit back and hope somewhere there is someone who sees its value and will swing over and pick it up, or at least pick up the tab of the moving costs. In our society’s ever–growing simple living movement, this scenario allows your “trash” to become someone else’s “treasure” and you cut down on landfills. With our current housing market, a primary concern of a homeowner involves the sale of their residence. Occasionally, a preliminary purge is the demand of the day and senior move managers are often happy to incorporate this phase of their assistance at the onset and finish up the remainder of the job (packing, etc.) after the home sells. In addition to move managers, the growing enclave of “stagers” (www.iahsp.com) and Professional Organizers (www.napo.com) provide professionals that can help solely with this task and declutter a residence, hopefully expediting the sale of the home. Last but not least, moving companies are a major player in making a difference between a stressful move and one that runs as smooth as silk. Angie’s List (www.angieslist.com) offers consumers personal experiences with moving companies. Getting everything in writing prior to the move can increase the odds that expectations are met. For example, if a shelving unit needs to be reassembled, discuss it in advance. Most importantly, assure that the company is licensed, bonded, insured and that they have been around enough years to assure you they’re not fly-by-night. Oftentimes, people put off moves for years due to “the move” itself. Afterwards, they’ll remark that they wish they had done it years ago. If the obstacle of “the move” is removed, one can get situated in a setting perfect for their needs and interests and that offers not only a multitude of amenities, but a built-in social network that can be a valuable gift for any age group. Diane Bjorkman and her husband Bill Lehman own Gentle Transitions and are recognized nationally as being leaders in the Senior Move Management Industry. 952-944-1028 or 651-224-0335 www.gentletransitions.com.
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Transition Without Trauma