Moving home can be an incredibly stressful experience. Unfortunately, we often need to move home when it comes to our senior years. Many people move into a retirement home while others simply need to move into a house that is more accessible and easier to manage. Some might even move in with their adult children or other family members for additional support.
Enlist help
Whether you hire professional movers or just ask friends and family members to help you out, moving home will be a lot easier with some extra pairs of hands. Since moving house might also be a difficult time for your parents emotionally, being surrounded by supportive friends and family members on the day can also make them feel better and remind them that not everything is changing.
Don’t rush them
As already mentioned, moving home can be a very emotional experience, especially if your parents have lived in their home for a long time. If your parents want to take their time and stop to reminisce or chat from time to time, then don’t rush them. Let them work through this event however they need to and make sure they know you’re there to support them.
Label boxes
Labeling boxes to indicate their contents will make things so much easier when you’re unpacking on the other end. You might label boxes to indicate the items they contain or the room that they will belong in. If you’re really organized, you could even create a detailed inventory of each box and stick it to the box.
Clean the empty house
Make sure that you thoroughly clean your parents’ house after everything has been moved out. This makes sure it’s ready to be sold or rented. Again, you might choose to hire professional cleaners for this task or you could all band together to clean it yourself.
Make sure they’re settled in
Once you’ve moved their belongings into the new home, don’t just take off straight away. Spend some time with them in their new home to show that you’re there for them and will still be visiting them often. They might still want to talk through how they feel about moving.