Easing the move of senior citizens
Accredited pro Candy Waites ’65 offers advice
For a dozen years Candy Waites ’65 has been helping senior citizens relocate. “I get so much pleasure from it,” she said, “because I like helping people and I can relate to them.” Whether downsizing, relocating, or moving in with a family member or to an assisted living facility, the process can seem a bit overwhelming to some.
“Many times people have been in their homes for 40 or 50 years and it’s difficult to part with some of their things because it’s not just the object,” Waites explained, “it’s all the memories that are attached to that object.
“I’ve learned that people don’t think they want to move because they can’t get rid of their stuff,” Waites said. “But if my team members talk to them as opposed to their children, they are much more inclined to listen and to say, yes, I can part with that.”
Certified by the National Association of Senior Move Managers (NASMM), Waites founded and operates Seniors on the Move in Columbia, S.C. Working with a team of seven employees, she coordinates between one and four moves each month in central South Carolina.
Waites walks three miles each day and plans to continue helping seniors move until it’s time to retire, but she’s not ready yet. “As long as I can handle it physically and mentally, I hope that I’ll continue for a while.”
If you are moving and have selected your new home, here are some tips to ease the process:
Engage your network of family, friends and neighbors to assist.
Any move is a team effort, especially for seniors. Sharing the numerous tasks lightens the physical and psychological load.
Contact local thrift stores and consignment shops to see what can be donated.
Many organizations accept donations of gently used furniture, clothing and household items, such as Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity ReStore, Salvation Army and Savers, among others.
Create a floor plan of your new home, and map out where your items will go.
Waites recommends using poster board with cutouts for pieces of furniture. It’s easier for seniors to visualize their new home manually, rather than on a computer, Waites advises, and this creates a blueprint for movers.
Pack room-by-room and color code containers and items for each new room destination.
Carefully organizing belongings before moving will ease the transition and ability to locate items in the new location.
If necessary, contact a NASMM-certified company to organize your move.
If you or a loved one needs expert guidance, look for a NASMM-certified company that is familiar with the specific needs of seniors downsizing and/or moving out of their long-time homes.