Why We Need Senior Move Managers Now More Than Ever

Not so long ago, nobody had heard the term “senior move manager.” That’s changing. Increasingly, individuals and families turn to SMMs when an older person needs to move house. Why the change? In short, the services senior move managers provide are becoming indispensable to seniors and their families. Several factors have combined to create this unprecedented need. Read on to find out why so many people are turning to professional senior move managers for their senior moves.

People are living longer than ever

Our population is aging, thanks in part, to the baby boom generation. People live well into their eighties, nineties—even past one hundred. That means the sheer number of people who are moving later in life has increased. On an individual level, that plays out in a couple of different scenarios. 

One, people may move more than once in their later years. Two, people may put off a necessary move until they are much older. Both of these situations increase the need for senior move management services.

Moving house is physically demanding. It’s infinitely harder when you’re eighty than when you’re fifty. As the population ages, senior move managers have become a vital support for seniors and their families. 

Extended Family Networks Have Changed

Family structures and support networks have changed over the years in many ways. These impact how much help seniors have when they are ready to move. Just a few of the things that have changed are:  

• People are more spread out geographically than they’ve been in the past. This often means families don’t live nearby when an elder needs to move. 
• People are having children later in life. This contributes to adult children being “sandwiched” between duties to their parents and their children. 
• Families are under stress. The economy is rocky and times are uncertain. Add in technology that has us connected 24 hours a day, and you have a lot of people that are stressed. 
• There are fewer intergenerational families. Seniors living with extended family may not ever need to move. If they do, there are more people around to help.
• More people are single now than ever before. Many more seniors have lived a single life and don’t have immediate family.
• People have fewer children than in previous generations. Families tend to be smaller now, meaning there are fewer adult children to help with the logistics of moving.

Senior move management services fill the needs created by these changing dynamics. They help with the physical parts of moving and decluttering. They organize belongings, pack boxes, and even offer unpacking services on moving day. Senior move managers coordinate schedules with movers, realtors, and senior living facilities. These services offer support to seniors and the people involved in senior moves.

Senior Move Managers Ease the Emotional Burden of Moving

Modern life is stressful in unique ways. Compared to previous decades, though, we put more stock into our emotional well-being, which is positive. It’s another reason senior move management has gained such popularity in recent years. 

Senior moves are highly emotional—and for good reason. There are things that come into play with senior moves that aren’t usually factors with non-senior moves.

• Loss of independence Senior moves are often prompted by a loss of independence, even a loss of personal dignity. It can be a terribly sad time for the person moving and the people who care about them.
• Health issues Similar to the loss of independence. Health issues can be more immediately serious or terminal. Skilled senior move managers bring sensitivity to these situations.
• More memories and more losses Senior moves entail combing back through older mementos, older photos, memories from a time further back. Often, person moving has outlived many loved ones. Going through these items can be especially heart-wrenching. Senior move managers bear witness to these experiences. They’re skilled at preserving important keepsakes in a way their clients can enjoy seeing them
• Sensitive family dynamics Senior moves frequently get held up because of family dynamics. Even in the most loving families, moving a senior from a family home brings up emotional baggage. Siblings argue and vie for decision-making power. Parents don’t want to cede control to their adult children. Senior move managers lower the temperature on family strife. 
• Loss of autonomy Especially when seniors feel bossed around by their adult children, senior move managers can become a welcome ally. SMMs are removed from family emotions and can focus on preserving a senior’s self-determination. 

Senior Move Managers Help When People Want to Age in Place

Many seniors don’t want to move in their later years. They’d prefer to stay in the home they’ve lived in for many years.

Even when seniors decide to stay put, their needs change. They need to think about safety and accessibility issues more than they did when they were younger. Senior move managers help in these situations as well. 

SMMs help by downsizing and rehoming belongings, decluttering, and rearranging living spaces to meet their client’s current needs. SMMS help their clients think about how they use their space and, more importantly, how they want to use their living space. For example, if a client enjoys cooking, senior move managers make kitchen items safely accessible. If a client has mobility issues, SMMs ensure hallways and door thresholds are uncluttered. 

Word’s Spread That Senior Move Managers Make Moves Much Easier

Society has begun to realize that senior moves are a different experience than other moves—largely because of word-of-mouth referrals. SMMs were a best-kept secret for a while. With so many people facing senior moves, word was bound to spread that there were people that could help. This is a common scenario:

Someone spends several months helping a friend or family member with a senior move. They’re frustrated, exhausted, and they haven’t been able to make any significant progress.

They tell people they know about their struggles. Someone says, “I went through that. Have you ever heard of a senior move manager?” That person calls up an SMM company and suddenly, they can take a step back. There’s a team of people who have taken the reigns. The logistical burden is lowered and the emotional struggle is lessened. 

The next time they hear about someone having a similar experience, they spread the word.

Regrettably, not enough people know about senior move managers before they go through a lot of difficulties. We’re hoping that’s going to change. 

Have you tried to go it on your own with a senior move? Don’t go it alone- we’re here to help! Contact us to make your senior move easier!