How to Help Your Senior Parents Move House
As a child growing up, you probably never thought there’d be a time where your parents might need your help more than you need theirs. However, once your elderly parents decide to relocate – they’ll absolutely need your help. Moving can be tricky for everyone, especially seniors who lost a lot of their mobility over the years. Moreover, with old age kicking in, they’re more likely than ever to forget even the mundane, everyday things. That’s why, in this article, we’ll tell you everything you need to do to help your senior parents move house.
Start by Downsizing
Before you can start packing and preparing everything for the moving day, you need to make sure you get rid of all the clutter. Useless clutter can take up a lot of space, and it’s pointless to move it from one house to the other. Clutter only adds weight and makes it harder to pack the essential items. That’s why you should start by separating everything that should be thrown away or donated from the rest of the stuff. However, don’t decide by yourself what should be thrown away. Include your elder parents and help them through the process of downsizing.
Packing
After you’ve successfully thrown away, donated, or gifted all the items you don’t want to keep, it’s time to start packing. Whether your senior parents are moving into an assisted living community in California or the house across the street from you, they’ll probably need the most help when it comes to packing.
In order not to forget anything, start by creating a checklist of all the items you’ll need to pack. Sort them into categories and assign them to a specifically numbered box. This will help you keep things organized and make the unpacking process much quicker and easier.
Prepare And Plan
Preparation for the move comes in many forms. One of the ways you can best prepare to help your senior parents move house is by thinking ahead. While you’re still packing, determine what will go in which room of their new home. Label the boxes with those rooms as well. It might take you a little longer to prepare everything, but you’ll save yourself a significant amount of time when it’s time to unpack.
When packing your elderly parents, make sure you label all the boxes.
Separate The Essentials
Another important thing to note when helping your senior parents pack and move to a new house is to keep the essentials separate from the rest of the stuff. For example, if your parents are taking any medications at the moment, put them in a separate box or a bag that they’ll have on hand. Moreover, make sure all of their meds are easily accessible just in case. You don’t want to find yourself searching for meds in a sea of unmarked boxes.
Handle Health Care Ahead Of The Move
Before packing is over and the moving day comes, make sure you handle everything concerning their health care. For example, suppose you’re relocating your elderly parents to a new city in California. In that case, you’ll almost certainly need to assist them in finding new healthcare providers. To prevent long waitlists, do your homework. Acquire references from their current doctors, and then schedule appointments as soon as they arrive. Contact insurance providers to make sure all doctors and specialists in the area are covered by your parents’ health insurance plans. Moreover, you’ll need to transfer their prescriptions to a pharmacy near their new home.
The Moving Process
Whether you’re moving your parents long-distance in California or down the street, you might want to consider hiring movers. Moving everything by yourself can take a long time. Moreover, you’d have to carry a lot of heavy boxes by yourself or with the help of your family. Even then, you’re guaranteed to feel exhausted after a while. By hiring the professionals and moving help you can trust and rely on, you’re making their relocation infinitely easier on you.
When unpacking, if possible, make sure you put all items where they used to be in the old house.
Unpacking
After the move, it would be helpful to your elderly parents if you make the new location feel like their old home. You can do this by decorating their new house with all their familiar possessions. For example, make their house look more like their old one by arranging the furniture in a certain way. Moreover, don’t just put stuff where you think it should go. When unpacking, put the items they use in the places where they’ll expect them to be. That way, they won’t have to get used to an entirely new layout.
Clean And Repair
There is still work to be done even after the moving day. Whether you’re selling their house, renting it, or leaving it to another relative, your job’s not over yet. You should tidy the house and consider making any necessary repairs as soon as possible. Don’t put it off until it’s too late. It’s smarter to deal with all the maintenance issues all at once rather than later when the house is already on the market. Moreover, making a few upgrades and repairs can raise the value of the house and improve its curb appeal. This means you’ll find it easier to sell or rent the house if it’s already in good enough shape.
Get help from your family and loved ones when moving your parents to a new home.
Have Patience
Lastly, one of the most important things when you want to help your senior parents move house is patience. A lot of the time, elders can be difficult to deal with. However, consider how tough this must be for them. Leaving their old home full of memories can be very hard. They might not be used to change and prefer for things to stay the same. If you don’t think you can handle it by yourself – ask for help. Get your family and friends to help you pack and prepare everything for the move. It might feel chaotic, but if it gets the job done, then it’s worth it. Whatever the case: remain calm. You can help them through this and treat yourself with something you want or a long nap afterward.
Meta: Moving your elderly parents is not easy. Before you start, here’s everything you need to know on how to help your senior parents move house.
Photos used: https://www.pexels.com/photo/carton-box-and-suitcases-for-relocation-on-bed-4246059/
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