Believe it or not, many health studies count moving among the top five stressful events in life. This kind of stress can have a negative impact on both emotional and physical health. Since older folks need to take particular care to remain healthy, we work hard to ensure a smooth move for all of our older customers.
Three Tips to Ensure a Stress-Free Move for Seniors
If you or an elderly loved one needs to move, get started with these senior moving tips.
1. Declutter
If you’ve spent many years in the same home, you’ve probably accumulated a lot of things. With seniors, very often these possessions are attached to a lifetime of personal and family memories. Still, it’s best to begin planning for a move by loading up the trash bins and donation boxes with items that get used infrequently and won’t truly have much value in the new residence.
Perhaps a family member could help by offering to digitize photos, sort through closets, and remove excess furniture. Some elderly people may resist losing items with a sentimental value. In this case, perhaps you could compromise by packing these things up for storage to prepare for the move.
2. Forward
Make sure you’re ready for your new address by letting the bank, utilities, health insurance, and other companies know where and when you’re moving. It’s simple and quick to file a change-of-address with the post office, but in some cases, you may have to change providers when you move, so it’s best to attend to these tasks in advance.
For instance, you’ll certainly want to make certain that the power and internet are turned on when you move to a new home. Also, some seniors may need to find another insurer or even a doctor when they move to a new ZIP code.
3. Prioritize
Even if you successfully uncluttered and pared down belongings, seniors are likely to need some of their possessions on the very first day. Examples could include bathroom and kitchen supplies, bedding, medication, and a change of clothes. Other items, like out-of-season clothes, artwork, or memorabilia can wait to get unpacked for several days or even months.
To reduce stress and spread out the labor of unpacking, it’s a good idea to pack a suitcase or two with essentials. Then prioritize and label other containers in the order they should get unpacked.
Enlist Help From Experienced Professionals
Make your next move the easiest and most stress-free move you’ve ever experienced by calling upon the professionals here at A. C. White Relocating. If you’re in and around the Atlanta Metro Area, call or email us today to tell us about your plans. In return, we can explain a variety of options, from packing to transporting to storage. We offer a variety of competitive packages that will ensure a seamless transition to a new residence.