If the time has come for mom or dad to downsize and move to a senior living community, there are a lot of logistics to consider. What do you get rid of? How much do you pare down? How do you make the actual move happen?
Enter: Professionals like Linda Diller, owner of Senior Move Masters. She’s an expert in helping seniors downsize and move to senior living. About 15 years ago, Diller got into the business the way many senior moving managers do; by helping her own family do it.
“They have to move from their home of 2,500 square feet to 900 square feet, and found out that it’s a lot more work than they could do,” Diller says. “Enter the kids, we start helping, and little by little we got it done.”
Since then, the industry has grown from about 40 move managers on the East Coast to about 1,000 worldwide, she says. With the senior population exploding due to aging Baby Boomers, the need has increased dramatically. So, too, has everyone’s way of life. More and more, adult children settle down far from their parents, and with the distance, their careers and raising their own families, it’s become harder than ever for them to drop everything and help their parents move.
Instead, they call Diller. She and her crew come in, and perform many related tasks: They help assess how much of the senior’s belongings must be shed, help select which items to keep and arrange ways for parting with the rest, design the new layout of their furniture and other items in the community and physically moves them there.
That’s not to say it’s easy. It’s not. But Diller knows that, and often plays the role of social worker, psychologist, friend — and even child in absentia.
“Their whole way of life and culture has been going from the honeymoon cottage to the house in the suburbs to raising a family and adding on to a home and collecting more and more stuff,” Diller says. “Three bedrooms of stuff that hasn’t been touched in maybe 25 years. It’s a daunting task that they physically can’t possibly take on anymore. Sometimes they shed tears. Sometimes we do, too. You hold your memories and the things that made it special in your heart and soul.”
Hard decisions get made. Diller often says, “the tape measure doesn’t lie,” but she also says “Move what you use, and move what moves you.” In other words, she recognizes that there’s a place for nostalgia, but also sees their move as an opportunity to begin with a clean slate.
When she begins working with a new client, she reminds them to start small. Begin the purge with the kitchen junk drawer, or leave a box in each room, and as you come across items you don’t use or can’t even identify, put them in the box. Little by little, you’ll get it done.
Diller also helps arrange for buyers to see the goods, sometimes buying lots at once, or arranges to make donation drops or to move items to a family member.
But for every item your loved one wants to bring with them to their new senior living community, Diller asks “What function will this serve in your new life?” And, she says, she’s never encountered a senior who regretted getting rid of anything.
Especially when they arrive at their new home, to find all of their chosen belongings unpacked and in the appropriate places. Many of her clients say their belongings look better after Diller’s crew arranges it than it did in their home.
“We pack, we hire movers, we do floor planning, we unpack, we hang art, we arrange furniture,” she says. “We often recommend that they not be there on moving day because it’s very difficult. But when they walk in, sometimes they cry. They’re so relieved and happy.”
Downsizing and moving can be two of the most overwhelming activities associated with a move to senior living. But, with support and a clear plan, both can be achieved and can leave your parent feeling confident in their decisions.
