A Place for Mom's Family

Moving Seniors: Settling Into a New Home

By Jeannette Franks, PhD

Moving seniors is never as simple as we'd like. You may think your job is done once the move date for your loved one is set. But your involvement will only continue, as she or he transitions to a new home and adjusts to the new surroundings. Whether nearby or at a distance, you are still one of the primary caregivers, regardless of the living arrangement. I'd like to offer some suggestions and guidelines that can significantly smooth the transition and promote harmonious living in a retirement or long-term care community.

Planning the move and setting up the new environment

Most parents benefit more when you provide the actual physical assistance in packing and unpacking rather than your dos and don'ts about what to take and what to leave. Creating a new home can be a highly personal and potentially emotional process, and ensuring choices rather than issuing mandates about possessions is one method that may foster a better sense of identity and comfort for mom or dad in the new location.

This article continues at Moving Seniors and Elder Care Services.

Thanks for this thoughtful post! I am writing a reply as part of my effort to connect with senior and their families that are facing this exact process. I am a personal organizer and hope to offer my services as a downsizing consultant.

The prospect of downsizing and preparing to settle into a new community can be both exciting and daunting. It can be exciting as a threshold into a new sense of security and freedom, and also daunting as the accumulation of decades must be addressed and evaluated. I  support people to use this transition as an opportunity  to distill their treasures and create a space that reflects a  lifetime of experience in a very supportive way.

In my work as a professional organizer I am often given the additional title of “Stuff Therapist” because of the attention I give to the deep emotional connections my clients have to their possessions. I have found that often family members have a very hard time assisting each other in the process of downsizing. The calm, detached, yet understanding support of a third party can often make the decision to release items less stressful.

My background as registered architect means that I am also equipped to help clients with spatial decisions, design and layout of furniture, selection of art work and choosing what will really work in a new environment. I have studied Feng Shui and energetic clearing techniques, which some people may find a welcome addition to the move.

Another component of my work includes clutter assessment and working with hoarding issues. My gentle and non judgmental approach has assisted many clients to make healthy changes to their homes, learning ways to organize both their spaces and their time. Information management, both paper and electronic is another area where many people have trouble.  I teach some simple and effective ways to process the huge volume of paper that we all deal with, and systems to keep what really matters and find it again when it’s needed.

The Composed Domain has been serving people in the greater Puget Sound area since 2000, and has been featured several times on KUOW’s The Conversation, written about in Seattle Woman Magazine and  the Seattle edition of the Daily Candy E-zine. 

I would be delighted to connect with individuals or families needing help with downsizing!

 Regards,

Rebecca Ross

The Composed Domain

206.546.8535

www.composedomain.com