A Senior Move Manager specializes in assisting older adults and their families with the emotional and physical aspects of  relocation and/or "aging in place." Though many senior move managers have backgrounds in gerontology, social work, health care, nursing and psychology, others come to this industry from the corporate world of project management, technology, accounting or marketing.What all senior move managers share, however, is a profound commitment to connecting with older adults and a desire to perform meaningful work.

Although specific services vary, most Senior Move Managers can help with some or all of the following:

Paving The Way to Transition

• Develop an overall move or "age in place"  plan
• Organize, sort and downsize
• Customize floor plans
• Arrange for the profitable disposal of unwanted items through auction, estate sale, buy-out, consignment, donation, or a combination of the above
• Interview, schedule and oversee movers
• Arrange shipments and storage
• Professionally pack
• Related services, such as cleaning, waste removal, shopping, senior escort, assisting with selection of a realtor and helping prepare the home to be sold

Preparation of your new home

• Shop for new items
• Arrange for transportation or other special needs
• Assembly of shelving units, custom closets or new items
• Memory placement, arranging the new home in a familiar fashion
• Arrange for transportation of clients and pets
• Transport of Medical Equipment

Other Services

• Arranging for Antique Appraisal, Estate Sale, Charity Donations
• Cleaning and Staging of old home for sale or rental
• Home Clearing, including appliances
• Multiple pick-up and delivery stops
• Assembly of purchased items
• In-house moves within a retirement community
• Hazardous waste removal,
  
• Shipping items out-of-town
  

Membership in the National Association of Senior Move Managers in conjunction with the CRTS designation assures you that your elder move manager has been trained and certified to uphold the standards of our profession.

All employees have passed a
 background check.

 

Your Personal Move Consultant Gerre Wade


Four years ago I moved my father from his Kansas City, MO home to an assisted living community. Dad objected to moving but seven hospitalizations in one year convinced him that he needed help. Together we sorted through a 50-year accumulation of belongings. Dad chose what he wanted to take with him and we sold or donated everything else. Like many of you, we turned a three bedroom home into a one bedroom apartment. Dad settled into his new home, with all of his treasures nearby. Today, he’s happy, safe, and healthy with only one hospitalization in the last two years! I want other seniors in similar circumstances to have the same outcome as my dad.

After witnessing my dad’s success, I researched the growing field of senior relocation specialists and decided to attend their training and certification program. I became the first person in Kansas to achieve the designation of Certified Relocation and Transition Specialist and feel qualified to offer you the services you need to achieve an outcome as successful as my dad's. Continuing education in this growing field as well as membership in the National Association for Senior Move Managers gives me access to the countless resources required as you downsize and relocate to a smaller residence. Call me at 913-302-5214 or e-mail me at seniormove@gmail.com

Recreate the home environment as much as possible. Your parents will be experiencing a lot of change; it will be comforting to have some things stay the same. Photograph each shelf in the china closet, the arrangement of pictures on walls and items on bureaus. The photographs will help you recreate the feel of the former residence with amazing accuracy and speed.

Let your parents’ emotional and physical comfort guide the process. Your parents’ priorities may be different from yours. If books were very special to them, they may need to determine what will happen to the volumes not going with them before they are willing to focus on other issues. Attempting to force your parents to proceed in a sequence that doesn’t address their priorities may result in your winning the battle but losing the war. Your parents’ perspective may differ from yours as well. They may prefer old and worn objects to newer items that are in much better condition. Seemingly insignificant items may be loaded with personal meaning and memories, while objects of great material value may be less important. Allow them to make the decisions.

Accept their gifts. Your parents may want to give you items, including some you may not be happy to receive. Take them anyway. Store the items in your basement if you must, but accept them graciously. Knowing that cherished objects are with family can bring comfort and peace of mind to your parents.

Be tactful. Often poor health and failing eyesight result in housekeeping practices that are less stringent than they once were. Tactfully offer to clean things as you sort through or pack. Avoid making your parents feel bad about the home they are leaving. Focus on sorting, not packing. Preparing for a senior move is a major organizational challenge. It’s not uncommon to have items going to your parents’ new home, to an adult son in Maine, a daughter in Illinois, a granddaughter in Arizona, a niece in Texas, the church bazaar, the Salvation Army, the neighborhood consignment shop, and the township dump. Attics, basements, garages, closets and cupboards....there may be forty years of belongings to sort through. Many people feel overwhelmed. It’s here more than anywhere else that you are needed.

Helping your parents sort and organize their belongings is the single most important thing you can do to reduce the stress of moving, ensure a smooth move, and save money in the long run.

Let your parents grieve.When you downsize with your parents, keep sorting sessions brief (two–three hours at most). Constant decision making drains energy. Accept that some days you will accomplish less than you had hoped. The sorting process brings up lots of memories. Stories and reminiscing are natural. It’s all right to be directed in your goal, but let your parents enjoy their recollections. It’s part of saying good-bye.

Be realistic about how much time you can devote to the moving process. Allow 40-60 hours for the packing and unpacking (once you have acquired all the packing materials), and at least that much time for the sorting process, spread out over several months if possible. If your time is limited, use it to help your parents prepare for their move, and obtain professional help for the pack and unpack. Concentrate on the big picture. Senior moves are stressful for the entire family, as adult children assume new responsibilities in addition to their own homes, jobs and families. Conflicts sometimes develop between siblings over who bears which portion of the burden, or over the disposition of material items. As you work with your parents and siblings, keep three objectives equally in mind—caring for your parents, taking care of yourself, and keeping the family intact.         

Mom wrote: "Everything you did for me to help with my move was beyond the call of duty. I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate it. I wish I could put a big ad in the newspaper encouraging everybody who is in need of such help to use your services."

Her daughter wrote: "I can't tell you how grateful I am that we connected with you and for all that you have done."

Another client felt much better after we arranged to have some important documents shredded at his home. He called us "amazing."

"We couldn't have done it without you."

"Thank you for selling my stainless silverware on e-bay and for the check you sent me. And thank you again for shepherding me through the GREAT MOVE!"

"I didn't think moving day could be this much fun."

"What a tremendous service you offer."

"I got a full-priced offer on my house four hours after it went on the market. Thank you to Gerre and her team for staging it!"

"I'm very pleased. Moving from Lake Quivira was a huge transition but it went smoothly. The attention to detail Gerre put into my move made this an art."

Declutter and Downsize
Parenting Your Parents
Encountering Resistance
Finding Care
Moving Help