Moving Tips for Seniors
Moving is considered to be one of the most stressful events in ones life. In a recent survey, 45% of those agree. In fact, many found it more stressful than divorce, raising a child, or starting an entirely new career.
Relocation Stress Syndrome (RSS) is defined as anxiety, loneliness, and many other similar symptoms that can follow after moving to a new place. Despite the fact that RSS can affect people of any age, it can have a detrimental effect on seniors’ physical and psychological well-being.
Seniors frequently encounter particularly challenging obstacles when moving. Having to downsize, sell or dispose of countless momentous that being specials memories, or simply uprooting from a home where they might have lived for 40 or 50 years disrupts routines, rituals, and surroundings.
When it concerns downsizing, planning, and carrying out the actual move itself, seniors may need extra help. They tend to collect more possessions as they age, so parting many of their accumulated possessions is sometimes the first step. Also, moving may be more difficult for seniors due to potential health and safety concerns.
Moving is a major undertaking at any age, but it can get increasingly more difficult as one ages.
We’ve compiled some useful recommendations to make the transfer as smooth as possible, whether you’re moving yourself or trying to move an elderly parent.
Plan ahead with a moving and downsizing checklist.
Seniors must adjust to the changes over time. Give them time to get used to the fact they will be moving. Avoid attempting to push them or move them too quickly because doing so could just make everyone involved more stressed.
Accompany and help seniors who move.
Seniors will need help when packing and moving. As mentioned, it is not just physically challenging, there is much anxiety around the unknown. It might be extremely distressing for a senior to move out of the home where they raised family or shared holidays and monumental moments.
Give them tasks.
In order to provide your loved one with a sense of control, give them specific tasks. Delegate simple duties like going through a desk drawer or an attic box. Ask them to spend a little time on one assignment each day. Let them choose what they enjoy doing and ask them what they may struggle with. Small steps will help.
Allow your loved one to ask questions and discuss concerns.
It is important for you to always be emotionally available. A move can be confusing. The more time you take to explain the process, the more comfortable your mom or dad will be with the process.
Keeping moving day safe.
When moving day finally arrives after all your planning, packing, and preparing, you’ll want to take certain precautions to make sure everyone and everything is safe. Given the size of the task, some preparation would not be a terrible idea.
Keep the senior’s belongings safe.
When recommending the sale of items, be considerate. Inquire about their use of the item and whether they object if it is donated. Give it to a grandchild or another sibling to keep it in the family if it’s a treasure or something they’d like to keep but the new space won’t allow. Giving things away if they are going to a good home is always a “feel good” option.
Handle health care ahead of the move.
You’ll probably need to assist your loved one in locating new medical professionals if you’re moving to a new city. To prevent lengthy waiting lists, conduct your homework, ask their present doctors for recommendations, and try to schedule visits as soon as possible after the move.
Talk with your senior loved one regularly.
By keeping an open line of communication regarding the move and their new home, you can make sure that everything goes well. Discuss any concerns that arise immediately so the transition can be enjoyable for the whole family. .
Plan to add old and new items into the home.
It’s crucial to talk about how your senior would like their new place to feel and appear. For instance, it is soothing to arrange personal belongings on shelves, in pictures, or in other familiar ways.
Plan moving transportation around your elderly loved one’s needs.
Many senior citizens find it impossible to endure lengthy drives without assistance or rest stops, others may need full-service medical transportation. Ask frequently if your loved one needs to take frequent breaks or stretch their legs during long drives. If an elderly relative needs further assistance, consider senior-focused transportation providers that provide non-emergency medical transit for seniors who require special moving accommodations like wheelchairs and oxygen tanks.
Familiarize your seniors with their new home.
It is crucial that you include the senior as much as they can in the move. Senior relocation is a challenging task. Not only are feelings intensely charged, but the challenging logistics of choosing how and when to make the shift to senior living may make an already challenging situation much more stressful. With these suggestions, however, your transition can go a lot more smoothly.
At Tomball Retirement Center, we offer independent living as well as assisted living. This means when your loved one goes from living an independent lifestyle to needing help with daily activities, they do not have to move to a new community. We provide it here! Assisted Living near you and independent living in Tomball Texas. Call us today!