Moving Is a Monumental Task for Many Older Americans. These Organizers Can Help.

The four-bedroom house where Ray and Beth Nygren lived in Auburn, Washington for 20 years was about 2,400 square feet. The two-bedroom apartment that awaited them at a nearby independent and assisted housing complex was less than half that size.

“Maybe it was a little reluctant,” said her daughter, Bonnie Ray Niglen, when she moved. That’s because they each had heart valve replacement surgery last year, and Beth Nigren was also suffering from complications. Even moving her one step from her living room to her dining room or family room has become difficult for her to do with her walker.

she had already fallen. “They thought it was such a small thing, but for us it was a real eye-opener,” said Bonnie Ray. “One more spin can make a big difference in their lives.”

With Beth, 85, battling multiple sclerosis and Ray, 87, with heart failure, the couple’s three children say it’s time to downsize and move into a retirement community. may have come,” said Bonnie Ray.

Earlier this year, the family began clearing out 65 years of wealth. “When I looked it up, I realized how much they had,” Nigren recalls. “How many towels do you need?” Which dish would you like to bring? What picture would you like to hang on your wall? And what do you do with the items you don’t receive? ’ The process felt overwhelming.

The family had never heard of a senior moving manager until a retirement facility recommended several senior moving managers such as: RR Move Co., Ltd.

As owner Rebecca Ricards walked around their home, talking about their concerns and taking lots of photos, the elderly Nigren almost flinched, planning a move, packing things, and finding a new home. estimated $5,400 in preparation costs. Moving vans and movers.

But comforted by her experience and confidence, they hired her, partly at her son’s expense.

About 1,100 such companies are members. National Senior & Specialty Move Manager Associationoffers training and certification, and requires members to carry liability insurance and adhere to a code of ethics.

Depending on the client’s needs, a moving manager’s services may include sorting and organizing belongings, working with moving companies, and using floor plans to determine where and what will fit in a new residence.

They get everything ready for their new home, from spices in their cabinets to towels on their racks. They can sell, donate, or dispose of the leftovers. Ricard charges according to the job, but most movers make between $65 and $125 an hour, with wide regional variations, said Mary Kay Bycie, co-executive director of the association.

Not everyone can do that, but most customers have moved into private paid nursing homes after selling their homes and can afford the additional costs. Clients on a tighter budget may be able to purchase some services rather than the entire package. Family members may help cover the costs.

“It’s more than just packing and unpacking,” Vaissy says. “It’s about working with clients and families over weeks and months, researching a lifetime of wealth. You have to be a good listener.”

Older people move much less frequently than younger people.a Census Bureau report A 2022 study found that from 2015 to 2019, about 6.2 percent of the population aged 65 and over migrated that year, compared to about 15 percent of the younger population. Still, the migration of older people exceeded 3 million a year. The proportion increased among those aged 85 and over and those with disabilities.

Living close to family topped the list, especially among those 75 and older, according to What’s the Most Common Reason for Moving? investigation It was published last year in the Journal of the American Planning Association. Respondents also mentioned improved neighborhoods and lower housing costs.

Senior move managers often work with their adult children to help parents move, but the industry is increasingly seeing younger seniors hire their own managers, he added.

New York-born Alyssa Barrott had already downsized her Florida home to an apartment in Chicago when she decided it was time to move home in 2021. But she sold her Chicago home during the pandemic, and she’s now in “a period of nervous breakdown” looking for an apartment in New York, said Barrott, 67, a former attorney. “There were so many balls in the air. There were too many.”

Dawson Relocation Services In Chicago, they charged her less than $1,000 ($65 an hour) in relocation fees. “I was able to schedule a flight with a few suitcases and leave the rest to you,” Barrott said. “It was a miracle.”

She unpacked herself, but didn’t have to go back to clean and close her Chicago apartment. Marnie Dawson once helped file a complaint when movers defaced some of Barrott’s belongings.

(Besides the senior moving manager, older movers can be real estate agents, lawyers, senior living staff, and other “Certified Relocation and Migration SpecialistAbout 1,000 people have passed the certification exam, said Donna Surges Tatum, chair of the Certified Relocation & Transition Specialist certification committee. The National Real Estate Agents Association alsosenior real estate specialist. ”)

Elderly relocation presents unique challenges. Unlike younger movers, they generally spend decades more accumulating their stuff to move to smaller spaces rather than larger ones. And, for better or worse, their families are often involved.

A moving manager must be a social worker in part. “Sometimes we work with people who have cognitive issues. Family dynamics play into it,” said Diane Bjorkman, whose company serves the Twin Cities. gradual transitionis the oldest and possibly the largest senior moving management company in the country.

A non-judgmental professional can often defuse tension. “You’re not saying to your mom, ‘Don’t take the broken recliner,'” says Björkmann. “Somebody said, ‘A different chair might work better.'”

sister and me hired a senior moving manager Our father was about to move into an apartment where he lived on his own, and it became clear that discussing the issue of how many of the same plastic flashlights he would need would consume months. became. entrusted to a third party.

Ultimately, however, the client decides. Björkmann recalled one woman, who hadn’t cooked in 20 years, claimed she needed to hold onto a particular pan. She also claimed that as someone who remembers the Great Depression, the freestanding freezer was an important source of comfort, even though it was full of expired food.

Björkmann said the roasting pan could break down and fit under the bed in her new apartment. The freezer was still packed with food and used as a side table in the living room.

The Nyglenians did not make such an unusual request. Their children took care of the weeks of sorting and packing, while former engineer Ray Nygren drew detailed drawings of the new apartment, showing where items should be placed.

RR Move Co. did the rest, we packed up on March 1st and moved into our new apartment the next day. Around 6 p.m., Ricard and staff called her family to tell them they were ready for what she called a “big announcement.”

“We walked into the house and it felt like we were in your house,” Beth Nigren said crying over the phone. I didn’t see the box. The movers made the bed, set the clock, and made sure Ray’s computer worked.

“The clothes in the closet, the pictures on the walls, the things in the drawers, everything was in order,” Nigren said. “You can just start living.”