01 Dec How to Make a Move into Senior Living Easier

Moving is never easy, but when it comes to packing up and moving from a home you’ve lived in for decades, things can become overwhelming as you begin the process. The most important thing you can do is to slow down and take the process one step at a time. Remember, moving into a senior living community is an exciting time, and making the initial transition is only a tiny step in a long and exciting journey.

The key to making your move into senior living a smooth transition is planning upfront to minimize stress and maximize efficiencies. Below are some moving tips to help you downsize your life and start looking toward the future.

Downsizing

The biggest thing you can do to ease your transition to a senior living community is to start downsizing your life as early as possible. If you don’t feel rushed, downsizing will be much less stressful. Moving from a multistory home into a more manageable apartment all starts with downsizing. Get your friends and family together and start going through your home room by room.

Create a decision-making system and separate things into piles. Designate a pile to donate, sell or give away; a pile to take with you to your new senior living apartment; and a pile to put into temporary storage. It’s always easiest to start with rooms you’ll no longer have in your new space. If your retirement lifestyle eliminates the need for yardwork, then you can easily part ways with your lawnmower, gardening tools and snowblower.

If you have any collections you’ve built up over your lifetime that you aren’t ready to part with, it’s a good time to consider temporary storage. Many storage facilities offer low rates for year-round storage that allow you to keep your items safe and sound whenever you want or need them again.

Utilizing Storage and Moving Companies

Once you’ve started the process of downsizing your life, you might find you’re a little over your head. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to streamline the moving process and get the help you need.

As previously mentioned, self-storage is ideal for downsizing without getting rid of things that you or your family might need in the future or have special meaning from your past. Storage facilities offer a variety of storage unit sizes, locations and types to ensure you find what you need for your belongings without going over budget. The best thing is, many storage facilities give owners access 24 hours a day, so if you or a relative ever needs something, it’s easy to retrieve. Using a storage unit can give you the peace of mind you need to downsize without regrets and without having to make rushed decisions.

As you’re downsizing, you might also begin the process of packing your belongings. Packing up the things you’ll be moving with you or moving into storage can sometimes make you realize just how much stuff you have. While you might be getting some help from family and friends, it might be a good time to call in a moving company. Moving companies, like Golden Years Move Managers, can handle all the packing, organizing and moving for you.

Planning Your New Space

Before you make a move into senior living, ask the community for a floor plan of your new space. Having a floor plan to review will give you a better sense of how much space you have and allow you to plan your layout. Various online tools can help you learn how to read floor plans and even create a virtual layout of your new space. Most of these tools are intuitive and easy for anyone to use.

Having a solid plan will make it easier to determine what items to move with you and help you make your new space feel like home right away.

Personal Care Services at The Woodlands at Furman

At The Woodlands at Furman, we understand moving into a new environment can be stressful. Our goal is to help our residents move into senior living on the right foot. Our tailor-made services help our residents with every step of the move-in process and beyond.

From the initial orientation to help with getting unpacked and settled in, our team is ready and willing to help you make your new space feel like home from the day you move in. Our dedicated team can help you put up holiday decorations, move furniture, hang pictures, and get your belongings organized even after you’re settled.

We want to remove the challenges associated with moving to ensure you start this new chapter of your retirement journey the right way.

Learn more about the personal care services offered at The Woodlands at Furman and contact us to learn more about our independent living home care services and floor plans.