Making a move at any age can be stressful and overwhelming but after living in your home for 20 or more years, it can feel almost impossible. And more likely than not, when you move into a Senior Living Community, your new home will be smaller than your current home. But by working with a Senior Move Manager® or a Professional Organizer, you can create a perfect living environment in your new home for your current stage in life.
A Senior Move Manager® is a professional who specializes in assisting older adults and their families with the physical and emotional aspects of relocation. They will help you make choices about what furniture and collections to keep, what’s most important, and will help you let go of things that are no longer as essential. Most Senior Move Managers® can provide you with a customized floor plan of your new home so you know what to take and what must be left behind.
While specific services offered might vary, the majority of Senior Move Managers® can help with some, or all of the following:
- Organizing, sorting, and downsizing
- Creating a customized floor plan for your new home
- Arranging for the disposal of unwanted valuables through auction, estate sale, buy-out, consignment, donation, or a combination of the above
- Overseeing movers and arranging for shipments and storage
- Professional packing, unpacking, and setting up the new home
- Related services, such as cleaning, and waste removal
What is the Senior Move Manager® designation?
The National Association of Specialty & Senior Move Managers (NASMM) is the leading membership organization for Senior Move Managers® in the United States with over 1,000 members. In order to qualify as a designated Senior Move Manager® by NASMM, you are required to take and pass courses in ethics, safety, liability & risk, and understand the moving industry. All NASMM Senior Move Managers® must sign a strict Code of Ethics and are guided by a code of professional conduct.
Things to ask when interviewing a Senior Move Manager® for hire include:
- Are they a member of National Association of Specialty & Senior Move Managers® (NASMM)?
- Do they have general business liability insurance?
- How long have them been providing services?
- Do they charge by the hour or by the project?
- Do they offer customized floor plans and if so, what do they charge for it?
- Will they provide a written contract?
- Can they manage an estate sale if needed?
- Do they have preferred movers, and do they oversee the movers?
- How do they manage the movers billing?
- Do they pack or do you hire a moving company to perform the packing? (If the Senior Move Manager® provides the packing, make sure they have the appropriate insurance to cover any damages.)
- Do they completely unpack and set up the new home?
- What additional services do they offer?
- Can they provide you with references?
Senior Move Managers® can provide an objective perspective guiding families through the process of deciding which things to keep, sell, and donate. A good Senior Move Manager® will be a good listener and work well with you, and your adult children, understanding that this process often times involves various generations. They know there are a lot of memories and emotions wrapped up in those belongings and they help take the emotion out of it so you can move forward.
Like Senior Move Managers, Professional Organizers can also provide a wide variety of services to support your move into a Senior Living Community. Professional Organizers that are certified by The National Association of Productivity & Organizing® (NAPO®) have passed stringent testing and committed to following the Association’s Code of Ethics. They will have earned the Certified Professional Organizer® (CPO®) designation. If there are not any Senior Move Managers® in your area, a Professional Organizer with the CPO certification is a great alternative and can provide most, if not all, of the same services.
For more information on Senior Move Managers® and Professional Organizers, reach out to your LivNow Dedicated Relocation Specialist who can introduce you to one in your area.
