Helping Elderly Relatives to Move House
Moving house is a big job for anyone, but can be particularly difficult for the elderly.
For older people, packing and moving can be very physically challenging. Leaving the family home can also be quite stressful and emotional, as your senior family member leaves behind familiar routines and environments, as well as many cherished memories.
Whether your elderly parents or grandparents are moving to a new house or a senior community, they’ll need some help and support during their move.
There are certain things you can do to help elderly relatives relocate to their new home, to make sure the transition process goes as smoothly and stress-free as possible.
Help Them Sort Through Belongings
Often elderly people will move from their large family home into a smaller residence, to reduce the amount of property maintenance and housework required in later years.
This means that their new house or apartment may not have enough space for all their existing furniture and belongings. Help your loved one to sort household items into 4 piles:
- Items to be moved to the new house
- Sentimental pieces to be passed on to family members and relatives
- Pieces that are no longer wanted that can be sold or donated
- Furnishings, clothes and assorted items to be thrown out
This will make an older person feel less overwhelmed by the amount of belongings, as well as more in control of their upcoming move.
Visualise the New Home and Contents
It’s useful to plan ahead and know exactly how much floor space your family member will have in their new home.
Sketch the floor plan of the new property on graph paper and cut out pieces of paper (to scale) to represent large furniture items. This will allow your family member to visualise their new home and make choices about what goes where, before moving day arrives.
Make Visits to their New Suburb
You can help your elderly relative settle into their new environment by becoming familiar with the suburb they’re moving into.
Visit the local supermarket, post office, medical centre and chemist. Work out potential public transport routes or taxi ranks close to local amenities. All of this will help seniors feel more at ease in their new home as they establish new routines.
Hire Experienced Moving Professionals
Hiring a reputable full-service mover can take a lot of stress out of your family member’s move.
Professional removalists will load all furniture and belongings, deliver them safely to their destination and unload them into the new home. Some removalist companies can even help with the packing process, with full home packing, unpacking and reassembling services provided.
If you’re looking for this kind of end-to-end service, look no further than Optimove.
At Brisbane’s Optimove, we’ve got the experience and knowledge to help move your elderly family member to their new home. Our caring and professional removalist team understand the emotional aspects of these big moves, providing old fashioned care, respect and attention to detail.
If you’re moving house in Brisbane, consider talking to the team at Optimove Furniture Removalists about your family’s move – call 07 3905 3223 or get in touch online.
