Senior Move Managers—More Than Movers

Picture this: you’re a baby boomer couple whose parents are aging. You’re at their home, and notice all the “stuff” that has accumulated over the years, from prized possessions to trivial trinkets. You know your parents aren’t willing–or perhaps able–to start the overwhelming task of editing their home goods. You realize the task will eventually be yours after their passing. Or, perhaps, you’re a recent widow and are interested in organizing and sorting through your home in order to move to an independent living apartment nearby, but your adult children live 800 miles away and are unable to get away to help you sort, pack, put the house on the market, etc.

Senior move managers can help in these NJ elder care scenarios and more. Whether your loved ones are looking to downsize to another location, have passed away, or simply want to get their existing home prepared to “age in place,” senior move managers can help. With more and more people turning 65 every day, the need for such services increases. In the U.S., people over 85 are the fastest growing segment of the population.

Senior Move Managers can manage all aspects of a move, but are much more than movers:

• Develops an overall plan–whether the individual is moving, or wants to remain at home
• Arranges for disposal of items through auctions, estate sales, donation, etc.
• Performs/oversees services such as cleaning and waste removal
• Helps select a realtor if home is to be sold or purchased
• Arranges/interviews movers
• Sets up storage unit, if needed
• Organizes and sorts items
• Packs and unpacks
• Sets up new home–hang pictures, arrange furniture, etc
• Provides recommendations of how the existing home could be modified to age in place

Senior move managers may charge hourly, or by the job. They can be in charge of a move from beginning to end, or of smaller aspects along the way, depending on the client’s requests. A senior move manager can help remove the worry, physical labor, and emotional stress from the process of moving, downsizing, and/or organizing.

For more information about senior move management, visit The National Association of Senior Move Managers at www.nasmm.org.