by jamhuriro
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by jamhuriro
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Jamhuri Healthcare Services: elderly parents
Author: Lindsay Denton
Whether you are moving your elderly parents to another city, state, or into a senior community – a challenging process is ahead of you. When older adults leave their family home, things can get sentimental and stressful. So many memories and so many habits connecting them to the previous home can make things difficult. That’s why their children must be there for them. They are the ones to ensure that transition goes as smoothly as possible. They need to have excellent logistics in the process, and they also need to care for their parent’s physical and mental health and finances along the way. If you find yourself in this situation, don’t despair. With good organization and patience, everything can be a success. In this article, you can find helpful advice and guidance on how to help your elderly parents move house.
Good communication is vital to help your elderly parents move
Leaving a previous home is always emotional, especially for senior people. Sadness and anxiety are expected in this process, but you can do a lot to help minimize negative emotions. Have a sincere conversation with your parents, give them enough time to prepare and process the change. Talk about where they’ll live and what the benefits of moving are. If they are downsizing, that means they will need much less time for maintenance and cleaning—no more clutter, no more unused empty rooms, etc.
If they are moving to a specially designed home for seniors, emphasize their safety and comfort. It’s essential to mention all the advantages of the place and how it will affect their everyday lives. In case they have in-home care, they can have peace of mind, while you can also be calm. That’s especially important if you live far away from the place your parents are moving to.
Caption: Talk with your elderly parents, and let them know you are there for them whenever they need you.
Alt tag: Woman talking with her elderly mother
Give them a choice
When you want to help your elderly parents move house, keep in mind that they need to keep a basic sense of control over the situation. They need to know that they have a choice and that their choice matters. Give them as much choice as possible, plan the move together, discuss every step thoroughly, prepare them for everything.
Encourage them to talk about their fears, insecurities, and doubts. Show them that they can find solace in you as well as support whenever needed. Ensure they will have all the necessary help and assistance in the new place. You can familiarize them with the possibility of elderly escort – hiring transportation assistance is an excellent option.
Caption: To help your elderly parents move, give them a choice and discuss any decisions with them.
Alt tag: Elderly couple walking down the street
Find help
To help your elderly parents move house is not an easy job, so don’t hesitate to ask for help from your close family. You can encourage siblings and other close family members to take a few days off of work (you will need them, too). Your children and younger members in the family can also participate and help – if their age allows.
Surrounding your parents with care, attention, and love from supportive family members can help ease the emotional stress of relocating. You can also have a family lunch – prepare your parent’s favorite food. In this process, they need to keep eating healthily and continue with their healthy habits such as light exercises – if possible.
Plan methodically and effectively
Before organizing actual relocation, sorting, and packing things for a move, you need to cover many things, plan them, and discuss them with your parents. Is there a room that needs furnishing? Will they have everything they need? Have a floor plan of the new home and plan what will go where. If they have some bulky furniture that won’t be necessary for a new home, decide what to do with it. Will you try to sell it (if it’s still in good condition)? Will you rent a storage unit until you decide for sure?
Your parents may become very sad if they find out that you threw away all their precious furniture or memorabilia. Ensure you are not doing it without their knowledge and their consent. Maybe some of those pieces are unique; maybe something is a collector’s item. They certainly need some reminder of their home in a new place to help familiarize, adapt, and adjust more quickly.
Sorting and organizing
Moving your elderly parents is one situation where downsizing on the belongings and detailed decluttering becomes necessary. Categorize items before packing, and decide on:
- What items will go with them?
- What will stay with the family?
- Do they agree to donate some items?
- Which items can you sell?
- Which items will you throw away?
- Will you move some items into a storage unit?
Honor your parents’ emotional attachment to some of those belongings and encourage them to reminisce as you sort through the stuff. Your parents will undoubtedly have a lot of memories to share. Maybe some of those stories you already know, but perhaps some will come as a pleasant surprise or conversation starters. Talking with you will help them eliminate a part of the stress. After sorting items, pack them methodically, room by room, and organize their transport.
Caption: After detailed decluttering, pack your parent’s belongings methodically.
Alt tag: Few packing boxes
Moving preparations
For a smooth relocation of your elderly parents, consider finding reliable, professional movers to safely transport their belongings. You’ll save yourself a lot of time and trouble – especially for a long-distance move (in which case you need to buy airplane tickets for your parents). Ask for a moving estimate in advance and decide which services you will need. Long-distance movers from Baltimore have experience with all types of clients and all types of baggage. They can handle transport while you are finishing other final tasks.
Repairing, cleaning
Whether your parents’ house will be sold, rented, or passed on to a family member, you should thoroughly clean it. If you have no time to deal with that or just want to spend more time with your parents, hire professional home cleaners.
Also, if you need to do some significant repairs, better do them now before it gets worse. Take care of all maintenance issues on time – to avoid more stress later after the tenants move in or when you list a house for sale.
Conclusion
After the relocation is over, it would be best for you to start thinking about the post-moving period. After unpacking, the adjusting process will take some time. Specialists from in-home care Baltimore can be of great help in that period, so discuss that option with your parents. We hope you can find these tips useful and that they’ll help your elderly parents move house. Good luck! This post contains affiliate links; we will get a small commission if you buy anything through the link.
https://www.pexels.com/photo/couple-elderly-man-old-34761/
https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-and-woman-walking-on-the-street-2385569/
https://www.pexels.com/photo/unpacked-boxes-in-middle-of-room-4246091/
Alt tag: Elderly couple smiling at each other
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