If pieces can serve more than one purpose, all the better. Make a preliminary plan of where major furniture will go in the new place-bed, couch, table and chairs, TV, bookshelf, dresser and desk, for example.You now know precisely how much space you will have you don’t need to guess. Be sure measurements are accurate, and reflect placement of doors, windows, appliances, built-in shelves, linen storage, heater vents, etc. Make a floor plan or template of the new home, whether it’s one room or something larger.Some fees may be negotiable if you plan ahead and schedule the move for nonpeak times. Find and get estimates from moving companies.Even anecdotes or historical notes about possessions, or offhand remarks like “Oh, Aunt Judy would love this tea set.” Although the notebook may not be particularly orderly, at least you’ll know where to find the information. Include to-do lists, a calendar/timeline, things you’re likely to forget, questions about the new residence, floor plans. Keep it with you, and whenever you think of something-anything at all related to the move-write it down. Make lists: start a separate notebook just for the move.Have a cup of tea (or glass of wine!), and take breaks. Try to keep it relaxed and companionable. Throughout the process, try to limit sorting and packing activities to no more than two hours per day for your parent.Now is the time for them to claim their keepsakes-old sports trophies, CDs, posters, school projects–and remove them from their parent’s house. Try not to allow grown children to use the home as a storage unit or museum.These can be in a file cabinet or safe-deposit box, but let key family members know where they are. Collect and keep together important papers: deeds, wills, Durable Powers of Attorney, medical records, military records, diplomas and degrees, birth certificates, passports.You’ll be surprised at how much you can eliminate before you get into the emotional quandaries of dealing with prized possessions. Continue this decluttering process monthly until you start the major activities of sorting and packing for the move.If you’re not sure, ask an accountant or tax person what records need to be retained.Shred, toss or give away obvious items such as old cancelled checks, outdated food or medications, clothes, or extraneous household items that just take up space.Six months or a year prior to moving is not too early to start this process, regardless of where your parent is planning to move, or even if your family is still deciding. If you have the luxury of time, and if your parent is willing, think about beginning to declutter before a move is on the near horizon.If you are an adult child helping your parent make this move, we hope this also offers advice on how to be both supportive and efficient as you and your loved ones manage this major life event. (For more information, see also FCA’s fact sheet Home Away from Home: Relocating Your Parents.) We encourage you to get as much help and support as you can from friends, family, religious communities and social service organizations. This may be the most challenging experience of all. If you are facing a crisis, such as moving a parent into an assisted care residence after a caregiving spouse dies, or into a nursing home after a devastating stroke, the process will be condensed and planning time will be minimal. Since every situation is different, select the areas that apply to you, and add your own notes in the spaces provided below. Most importantly, the Checklist below provides a tool to help you organize your move and help it progress as smoothly as possible. This tip sheet offers a handy guide to save time, energy and sleepless nights. More often, this relocation can be an unwelcome admission of frailty, loneliness, possible serious illness, and a loss of independence. On the positive side, a move may offer a sense of “lightening” to reduce the messy clutter of a family’s history, fewer home and yard chores and can help reduce feelings of isolation of living alone. For an older adult this “new” opportunity may feel like a mixed blessing. When you’re older and moving from the family home to a new smaller residence, possibly in a new community or your adult child’s home, sorting through decades of family history and possessions can feel overwhelming-even paralyzing.Īs we progress through life, moving may signal new opportunities, a new relationship, a new adventure ahead. Whether it’s cross-town or cross-country, whether to a small apartment or a large suburban home, tackling the organizing, packing, discarding, cleaning, paperwork and the myriad other tasks is a major challenge. Moving is a high-stress life event, the experts tell us, and they’re right.
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