Anyone with parents might want some tips on moving the elderly. Senior citizens are some of the most loved and respected people in our lives. If the day arrives when it is necessary to move them to a nursing home, retirement home, assisted living facility, or even to your own home, it can take a lot of planning and loving care.
The emotion of leaving a familiar place can become overwhelming for some of the elderly. They can become very emotional, and it becomes more crucial that you come up with a structured plan before you think about moving them.
Try to picture one of your children, or someone else in your family telling you twenty years from now that you can no longer live in the house of your choice and it's necessary to move to where others can care for you. That might be a tough proposition to swallow. Additionally, you know it will probably be the beginning of the end of your independence.
7 Tips on Moving the Elderly to Another Location
Follow these tips on moving the elderly and it will make the transition much easier:
• Show Your Love and Concern - This is a time that you want to show how much you love them, and it shouldn't be a situation where you begin criticizing and giving them orders. Assure them that you will help them take as many things as possible, and you will see to it that everything is organized and gets to its destination in one piece. Any items that that won't fit into their new residence, should be properly stored, sold, or given away.
• Help with Sorting - Do you think it would be easy to sort out every item in your house? Well, think about how difficult it is for most seniors. We all hold on to unnecessary objects, so you are going to need a little more understanding when you begin helping seniors sort out their worldly possessions.
Some seniors aren't comfortable with parting with some objects. There are some who don't like to give things away, while others don't like the idea of selling. You need to find some common ground and find out what they would like to give to charity, family and friends, and when they can sell or take with them.
• Keep Arrangements Familiar - Before you or movers put your hands on any item in your loved one's home, get a mental picture and keep notes as to where they put everything. The more items that can be put in the same or similar spot, the more comforting it will be for them. To make it easier for you, you could take photos of their entire house and then see what can be arranged that way in their new residence.
Go as far as having a look into their closets and drawers to see how everything is laid out. If you have ever moved, you know how important it is to get your entire house to look the way it did before the move. Seniors enjoy that same familiarity with their surroundings, too.
• Take One Step at a Time - You can probably guess that most seniors have saved many items over the years. To some people, it might even seem like hoarding, but some items might have sentimental value, and just about every piece has a story to tell. Take your time to go through each section of their house on different occasions. Don't try to get it done on one day.
If you notice anything that seems obvious that should be left behind, take notes, and discuss it with your elder. Slowing things down and doing it bit by bit could make it an easier process.
• Save the Sentimental Objects for Last - When considering moving the elderly, you should save the sentimental objects for last. Start in areas of the house where it is easy for them to make quick decisions on saving or chucking the items. This is good, because they see how quickly they can get some of the sorting process done.
• Have Enough Helping Hands - You shouldn't try to do this all by yourselves. Get some other family members to help out. If there is obviously too many things that need to be moved around, you should consider hiring others to help. Just make sure they are people you can trust.
• Patience - You might notice many items that need to be thrown away, but your loved one might keep insisting that they cannot part with those items. You need to be very patient but firm on what they won't be able to take. It's usually a good idea to let them see their new residence and get measurements so they know how much room is available. If the management of their new place has restrictions on certain items that you know they have, let your loved one know about that, too. It will save you a lot of headaches in the end.
Tips on Moving the Elderly - Conclusion
Always try to make the best of a difficult situation. Moving is hard on anybody, and seniors are no different. Use the above tips to help you get an idea about the future tasks at hand. Give seniors all of the love and respect they deserve and help make the move as smooth as possible.
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