When you’re moving from your home to a senior retirement community, you are most likely going through a time of stress and emotion from the life transition. Any move requires preparation and adjustment, and this is a big change, and it makes sense that the process will be difficult until you are fully settled into your new home.
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To take some of the burdens away and make the process easier, gleaning from all our experience, we came up with the following list of moving tips for seniors. Rest assured that once you arrive at Village Green Retirement Campus and are ready to start this new stage of life, our staff is ready and trained to help you make your move as easy as possible, as well as easing your integration into the community. It’s our goal that you feel at home here in no time.
1. Choose a Real Estate Specialist
When selling your home as you get ready for moving to assisted or independent living, consider using a specialist. In our experience, senior real estate specialists are trained in helping older adults through the real estate process and tackling situations specific to this age group, such as downsizing. They can often guide you in the right direction if you’re not sure how to go about parts of the selling and moving process.
2. Find a Community Where You Can Age in Place
It’s tough enough to move, especially if you have to downsize. Once you make the transition, you don’t want to have to do it again and again. By choosing a retirement community that offers a continuum of care, you’re better able to age in place. At Village Green, we offer that continuum of care and you can transition from senior apartments to independent living to assisted living while staying in the same community you come to call “home.”
3. Consider Your Different Housing Options
While it’s smart to think ahead and choose a home to age in place, you’ll need to decide in which accommodations you wish to start your retirement. Are you over 55 and looking for an apartment for active living? Are you seeking independent living that provides a safety net of staff and amenities while giving plenty of independence? Or could you use more help with activities of daily living and certain medical support through assisted living? Not sure exactly what you want or are looking for? No problem, we can help you figure out the best one to start with in relation to your unique situation and what you are looking for in this next stage of life.
4. Tour Senior Communities
Before buying into a retirement community, we recommend that you tour senior facilities and retirement campuses so you can make sure you’ll feel at home in the one you choose. It’s important to see a place in person and get an idea of daily life there. To tour Village Green, start by looking at campus photos to get an idea and see if you can imagine yourself in a new environment. Then, contact us to schedule your in-person tour so you can see your options, meet the staff and allow us to help guide you through this decision-making process.
5. Follow Downsizing Tips for Seniors
You might be in the same boat as many other seniors who find downsizing for a move the most challenging part. It’s a huge prospect to go through all the belongings you’ve collected throughout your lifetime and to figure out which ones you desire to keep and which it's time to let go of.
How do you downsize senior homes? The process is equally emotional as it is a practical one. Here are some tips that will help:
- Recognize that downsizing will help you simplify your life and have a cleaner, decluttered home, and by default a decluttered mind.
- Notice items that you don’t use, especially items that stay in storage most of the time. If you wouldn’t really notice an item was missing, don’t bring it to your new home.
- Give yourself plenty of time, if possible. Going through your belongings could take months.
- Cut out duplicate items, such as extra sets of dishes, and bring only as many as you’ll need. For instance, if you’re going from four bedrooms down to two, you won’t need as many sets of sheets, comforters, or pillows.
- Decide whether to go through items one room at a time or by focusing on one category at a time, such as clothing and then papers and then sentimental items.
- Devote more time for going through sentimental items. Decide on the highest priority items you want to take with you. After that, ask your children or other family members if they would like some items. You may want to pass down certain items now that you would have bequeathed in a will. Then, go through whatever is left. To scale down, you might want to choose a limited number of items in a certain category. For instance, you could allow yourself to keep three crafts your children made and get rid of the rest. Another option is to take pictures of items so you can keep the memory without keeping the item. If these decisions are creating too much stress during moving, consider keeping belongings in storage or with a family member until you can decide.
- Consider asking for help, whether you bring in your children or you hire professionals to help you move. You can even find specialized vendors for this task, such as those through The National Association of Senior Move Managers.
6. Have Patience
Remember that you’re making a big life transition, so try to have self-compassion. Take care of yourself and give yourself a chance to get used to your new home. Try to be patient, as it can take up to six months or longer to become acclimated to any new environment. More than likely, you’ll soon be making new friends, participating in activities, and thinking of your new living situation as your home sweet home.
7. Feel Welcome at Village Green
At Village Green, our staff does everything we can to ease your transition to our retirement community. After making the move, we help you feel at home through our welcoming staff and residents, plenty of scheduled activities, and many potential friends that you can get to know.
If you’re ready to consider moving to assisted living or independent living, check our availability at Village Green and get in touch to set up your tour.
