When It Is Time For The Older Adult To Move

A neighbor of mine has a “baby” brother in his 70s who is single and starting to have more health problems.  It is to the point where he is unsafe living independently in his house, and he is going to have to move from his home to a facility that can provide assistance with his needs.

Suddenly, decisions have to be made:

• What facility, out of the many, is where I want to live and is within my budget (and will I like it there)?
• How will I sell my home and maybe car?
• What household contents can come with me, and how do I deal with all the rest of it?

My neighbor was overwhelmed with trying to help her brother with these tasks. If that is how you would feel about leaving the home you’ve lived for decades, there are a number of services that can help with this daunting change. The key is to make that decision while still independent and before some event forces the decision.

Think about a time when you made a move to a new location. Having to move due to a health crisis is like having to buy a house in another city without visiting it. You don’t know what the neighborhood will be like or what the house looks like beyond the photos.

Instead, moving while independent is like taking an apartment and having time to look around for the best neighborhoods and good homes. You can take your time learning to know the options and planning for a smooth transition.

Finding A Facility

For help finding a facility, there are organizations that can review your finances and your desires for a place to live and help you through the process of finding a place you like and within your budget. Use franchises with local offices like Oasis or Owl Be There or a service like Brandywine Concierge who have people local to the area and know the facilities well. Set up an in-person meeting with the agency you choose. They should provide their service at no cost to you, as they are paid by the facility you eventually choose.

Don’t start the process by giving personal info over the internet or filling out online forms. There are several websites that take your information and then just provide a list of facilities in your area. Now that you are the web site’s “customer”, other more personal companies are less likely to work with you, since the website and not the company will get the placement payment.

Selling The House

For help with selling the house, look for a real estate agent that has the Senior Real Estate Specialist (SRES) designation. Even better if they have a Certified Senior Advisor (CSA) designation as well. They may also put you in touch with a cleanout firm or a tag sale or auction house that can help with the decades of accumulation – whether junk or valuable.

The One Stop Shop Option

If the idea of trying to coordinate everything is still too much, there are Senior Move Managers who are like project managers for relocation. They should be members of the National Association of Senior Move Managers indicating they’ve proven their skills and abide by ethics. They can handle and coordinate the entire process from hiring real estate agents, help you coordinate your actual move-in to the facility (hiring movers), valuate the contents of your home, sell the contents at the best price, and walk you through all of the paperwork involved with all of this. Some move managers even specialize in helping certain types of people, such as those who have hording tendencies.

Moving from a home of many years to a facility that will be the home for the rest of your life is a huge undertaking. Many people realize that housing will have to change as they age, but delay taking action because it seems to be such a huge undertaking. The process begins by realizing you need help in navigating from start to finish. Many types of help are available, at whatever level of help you want.