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65 Briarwood Circle Worcester, MA 01606

Downsizing and Moving Seniors: Should You Do It Alone Or Hire Help?

downsizing and moving seniors

After a lot of conversation, the decision has finally been made. It’s time for your loved one to move into a retirement home. This decision process looks different for every family, but it is often a difficult one to make – and the next step might feel like the hardest yet: downsizing. For many families, downsizing and moving seniors is a big and stressful process. Who’s going to help out? Should you hire a service, or are you and your siblings (or children, cousins, friends, etc.) going to do it on your own?

Downsizing and Moving Seniors – Do You Need a Professional?

There’s a lot to consider when thinking about hiring a senior moving specialist. Before you pick up the phone, take the time to think about these questions and decide whether or not hiring a professional is the best route to take.

1. What Does a Professional Do?

It’s important to understand what you’ll get out of a service if you do decide to hire one. While each senior moving service is unique, they typically handle all of your loved one’s moving needs, including packing their belongings, bringing the belongings to their new home, and unpacking them.

One of the most beneficial parts of hiring a professional is that they can provide strategies for downsizing. While some families can manage this themselves, downsizing itself is a difficult and often emotional process; it helps to have someone with some experience who can gently help your loved one choose which items to take with them and which ones to let go of.

A professional streamlines the moving process, but some families may find that they don’t need help. You may have no trouble finding the time to sort through belongings, pack, and unpack. However, if your loved one is out of state, you are not physically able to help them move, or it seems impossible to coordinate a time when everyone can pitch in, hiring a professional may be the way to go.

2. Are the Benefits Worth the Cost?

It’s not easy to pack up someone’s whole life and move it somewhere else. It’s a big process and is often stressful and tiring. For that reason, many decision-makers think it is beneficial to hire a professional who can take some of that emotional (and physical) weight off their shoulders. But it is worth it to consider the benefits and the cost.

When you hire a professional, you will work directly with them to determine the cost of their services. Keep in mind that it won’t be cheap – after all, this is a big job! Consider the price that is quoted and the services being provided. Is it worth it?

If the professional provides services that you cannot, such as garbage removal or transporting the belongings from one place to another, then it will be worth it to hire someone. But if you are only considering hiring someone to save yourself some time, it might not be the wisest option. Whether the services are worth the price will be unique to your situation, so give it some thought.

You may also want to consider hiring someone to do only part of the job. For example, if you’re capable of packing, but not unpacking, see if a professional will agree to do only the parts that you can’t get done. This will have a big impact on the price and ensure you’re really getting value for the services you need.

3. How Do You Decide Who to Hire?

If you decide that hiring a professional is the right way to go, how are you going to go about doing it? This is an important process – you don’t want to hire the first service you find. You want good value from a professional you can trust, so how are you going to find that?

If your loved one is moving into Briarwood, reach out to us! We keep in touch with a few senior downsizing and moving specialists who work in the area, and we are happy to provide a referral.

Once you’ve found a business you’re considering, do some research. Check their online reviews and credentials. Make a list of important questions and ask the service directly. Some questions you may want to ask include:

  • How long have you been doing this kind of work?
  • Do you have insurance? What does it cover?
  • Which specific moving services do you offer? What is your cost range?
  • Do you use a moving company?
  • Will moving fees be included in your estimate or paid directly to the mover?
  • Will all of the services be clearly outlined in a formal contract?
  • Do you provide garbage removal?
  • Do you have references? May I call them?

Time to Make Some Moves

Downsizing and moving seniors is not an easy process; it is emotional and takes a lot of work. For some families, hiring a professional to handle the hard stuff is an enormous relief. Other families have the time and manpower available to make the move on their own. Regardless of what you choose, we want your loved one’s transition to be as easy as possible.

Are you wondering whether it’s time to look for a retirement home? We’d love to help you prepare. Download our free eBook, Preparing for and Finding a Retirement Community, to help you find the right fit for you and your lifestyle.

preparing for and finding a retirement community

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