A senior woman and her daughter carry moving boxes

Parents Moving into Senior Living? Check Out These Professional Services that Help Downsize, Sell a House, and Move

News & Blog

April 14, 2023

As an adult child, you thought moving your parents to a senior living community would be the biggest and most important decision you’d have to make together. You’re right — but now you’ve got lots of smaller but equally important items on the to-do list as a result: helping your parents downsize their belongings, getting their current home ready to sell, and getting them packed and moved into their future community. If you need one particular service, feel free to jump right to that section:

Need help with selling your parents’ house? jump to #2 below.
Need help with packing and unpacking? Jump to #3 below.
Need to hire a Senior Move Manager? Jump to #4 below.

How to assemble your professional services team

Fortunately, you don’t have to do all these things on your own. If you’re moving your parents to senior living, there are specialized companies that help seniors downsize, as well as real estate services focused on seniors and senior moving services. Depending on what you need to accomplish, here’s a helpful list of services to ensure a successful move for your parents, and a much less stressful process for you.

1. Downsizing

It can be incredibly overwhelming for an older adult to scale down their lives. Your aging parents may have lived in the same large single-family home for decades and have no idea where to start. They may also be very worried about fitting their current possessions into a smaller senior living residence, especially items that have great sentimental value. This is why a downsizing company for seniors can be an important member of your team. A professional downsizer can be a neutral third party who can help remove much of the stress and emotion from the downsizing process. They can also be an ideal solution if you or other family members don’t live close enough to help your parents. This professional’s services usually include creating an overall moving plan, figuring out what furniture will work in the new residence’s square footage, sorting and organizing belongings, and arranging the sale of unwanted items.

2. Selling your parents’ house

Your parents’ needs have changed significantly since the day when they first bought their house. When looking for a real estate agent, look for one who understands the senior seller. Ask questions like whether they do anything differently when selling a senior’s home, how they work with family members who wish to be part of the selling process, and if they have local contacts who specialize in senior services. You may opt to work with an agent who is a Seniors Real Estate Specialist® (SRES®). It’s a designation for agents who want to be able to meet the special needs of older adults who are selling, buying, relocating, or refinancing residential or investment properties.

3. Packing, unpacking and moving

The moving process can be physically taxing for even the youngest and fittest among us. The strenuous lifting, packing and unpacking heavy boxes, loading a moving van, driving everything to a destination — that’s a lot to ask for you to take on, and may be impossible for your older parents to tackle alone. Fortunately, there are senior moving companies you can tap. Unlike ordinary movers that simply transport boxes and furniture to a desired location and leave, moving companies for seniors handle the entire move from start to finish. They often handle the entire process of packing and unpacking, so there’s no need to worry about any of the practicalities. The moving company will bring their moving boxes, tape, and other packing materials, and then pack all items carefully. They may even place furniture in the exact location your parents want it to be, and Next, you may want to consider the resources available through the National Association of Senior & Specialty Move Managers®.

4. Hiring a Senior Move Manager

If you’ve never heard of this professional before, you might be thrilled to find out they exist. From space planning to post-move support, they provide a multifaceted approach to the moving process. Some Senior Move Managers have backgrounds in gerontology, social work, health care, nursing and psychology. Although specific services vary, most Senior Move Managers help with everything the aforementioned professionals do. They also offer related services like cleaning, waste removal, shopping and many other tasks.

Make the smart move — choose The Chesapeake

Want a surefire way to make your parents’ move to a senior living community a bit easier? Start by choosing the best community around. And in Newport News, VA, that would be The Chesapeake. It’s a remarkable senior living community free of everyday worries with a secure plan for the future. To learn more, contact our retirement counselors online and we’ll schedule you a tour of our senior living community in Newport News, VA.