7 Helpful Moving Tips For Seniors

Moving is stressful enough for anyone, but it’s particularly difficult for seniors. There is a lot of stuff involved with moving, but there are a few tips seniors can keep in mind that can help them. Below are a few moving tips for seniors.

1. Create A Plan Of Action

You’ll want to create a plan of action before doing anything, which will involve deciding how much of the move you’ll handle yourself and whether or not you’ll hire a moving company to help with certain aspects of the move. Decide if any items you own will be put into storage and make a list of things that have to be done and when they should be done. A written out timeline from now to your moving date will come in handy.

2. Break Everything Down Into Smaller Tasks

Tackling large tasks on a daily basis or trying to do everything in a single day or weekend can make things even more overwhelming. Instead, break everything down into smaller tasks and split single large tasks into 2-3 tasks that you can do over the course of a few days. As a general rule of thumb, you should give yourself 4-8 weeks to complete all of your tasks or as long as necessary. The bottom line is doing a little something daily will eventually add up over time.

3. Visit The Property

Make sure you actually visit the property you plan on moving too, even if it’s a retirement community, assistant care community, apartment, condo or anything for that matter. You want to have a feel for the place, the location and the nearby attractions and neighbourhood in general. The more familiar you are with the location before you move, the better.

4. Prepare For The Big Day

You’ll want to prepare for the big day by getting suitcases, packing boxes, packing tape and things of that nature. Pack everything in suitcases and boxes, but do label them as essentials, non-essentials, appliances etc. . . Decide what items are important and pack them first, and think about getting rid of the items that aren’t that important and which items are kind of important and should be placed in storage.

A useful tip is to make a checklist of the most important things to do. The top of the list should be the most important things that need to be done. The bottom of the list are the things that can be done later on.

5. Pack Medications

Many seniors are on medications and you want to make sure any medications you take are packed first. Leading up to the day of the move, keep checking to make sure the medications are still in the spot you left them because it’s easy to take them and put them somewhere else, which can lead to you forgetting to bring them with you on the big day. In fact, you should set an alarm reminder to alert you about your medication. Set the alarm to go off the day before the big move.

6. Notify Contacts

Notify any of your contacts, and tell them when you are moving, where you’re moving too, who is helping you and things like that. Tell them both the small and big details of the move because it’s always better to be safe than sorry. As a general rule of thumb, you should tell the people who are the closest to you about the move.

7. Ask For Help

Finally, ask for help with any tasks you know you can’t handle yourself or for the things you would like help with. This includes packing, organising logistics, getting rid of belongings and so forth. Like your family, friends, co-workers and anyone else, you know if they can lend a helping hand. You might be surprised at how willing people are to help, but you need to ask.

As a senior citizen moving homes, it’s a good idea to ask for help and notify contacts of your move. Don’t forget to pack your medications, prepare for the big day and visit the actual property you’re moving too. Breaking everything down into smaller tasks and creating a plan of action can go a long way too. If you keep those things in mind, then your move should be easier.

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