Real EstateHow To Help Your Elderly Parents Downsize To A Smaller Home

By Jim Vogel, Guest Contributor & Founder elderaction.org

Many elderly individuals find it necessary in their golden years to downsize and move into a smaller place, or into an assisted living facility, but the moving process can be extremely stressful, emotional, and overwhelming for seniors. Making a big change after living in the same place for years, or even decades can take a toll, whether it’s a move within the city of Charleston SC or from one state to another, so it’s important to make sure your loved ones are well taken care of during this time.

There are many things you can do to ensure your parents’ health and safety are a priority during the move, but it’s also important to take care of their emotional needs. Let them know you’re there for them and recruit a few close friends and family members to assist you in the moving process, especially while your parents are going through their belongings to pare down.

Here are a few of the best tips on how to help your parents downsize and get ready for a move.

Find the right movers

Finding the right movers for the job is important, so sit down with your parents and ask what their specific needs are. Check out local Charleston movers to take the stress out of moving and prevent injuries.  Do some research to find the right people for the job before making any decisions.

Prepare

Before packing begins, help your parents prepare the home. This means cleaning, de-cluttering, and getting rid of any items they don’t want to take to the new place. Make a trash pile and a donate pile and help them sort through each item so nothing gets accidentally thrown out. Go through closets, drawers, cabinets, pantries, attic spaces, and basements and find out if your parents rent a storage space anywhere. There may be things that can be auctioned off or sold on eBay, so ask if they’re interested in making a little extra money for the move.

Now is the time to acquire boxes (need help figuring out how many you’ll need? Here’s a handy reference guide), packing materials, tape, and any necessary cleaning products as well. Be sure to have several different sizes of boxes so that small, fragile items can be kept safe. Large, bulky items that aren’t that heavy–pillows, blankets, towels, etc.–can go into big boxes because they won’t be hard to carry.

Packing

Go room to room when packing and keep like items together; try not to mix rooms if possible. Make a packing list as you fill a box and tape it to the outside to make things easier during unpacking. For breakable items such as dishes and cups, wrap them well with thick newspaper or bubble wrap and put them into the box on their sides. Cups and mugs can be placed inside one another, individually wrapped, and then wrapped again for good measure. Remember not to put too many of these into one box, as it will quickly become very heavy and will be both a physical hazard and a breakable issue.

If your parents have a flat-screen television, find out the proper way to move it. Many flat-screens can become ruined if they are laid flat in a box, but can fit easily into a proper shipping container. Strong packing tape is a must for each box, and you’ll need to make sure each one is securely wrapped on all sides. 

Moving day

Reserve 8-10 boxes to keep aside until moving day, when last-minute items such as cleaning supplies, toiletries, and other necessities will need to be packed up. These might be packed into your car rather than into the moving van so they can be unloaded first, especially if they hold medicine or medical equipment. Remember to leave toilet paper, paper towels, paper plates and cups, and utensils for the last minute.

Once your parents are in the new place, help them get acclimated by meeting the neighbors, finding out about important neighborhood info such as when trash day is, where the mailbox is (if the new place is in a community), and any security codes they might need.

NOTE:  It’s no secret that Charleston SC is a among some of the top southern cities for retirees to move to.  From James Island to Summerville and Moncks Corner, new developments are springing up that cater to the active retiree who want lots of amenities and planned activities.