Celebrating National Senior Move Managers Week May 13-19
Tips help Baby Boomers Move Parents, Wade Through Years of Possessions

DENVER, CO – Is there more to moving Mom than just the move? Or, than simply packing up Dad’s stuff and hauling it to another place?

Kathleen Roberts, director of Denver-based Moving-On With Style and her colleagues with National Association of Senior Move Managers (NASMM) say a resounding “Yes!” as the first annual celebration of National Senior Move Managers Week kicks off May 13 –19.

“More Than Just a Move” is this year’s theme, showcasing the senior move managers’ commitment to assisting older adults and their families – not only the actual moving experience, but with the emotional and physical aspects of relocation as well. The NASMM professionals lead clients through a journey that is often as much about sorting through dearly held memories as it is about possessions. They help clients work through their issues of what to take and what to leave, and how to redirect their things to other places.

“Most mature adults making a transition have not moved in 20, 30, or 40 years and need to downsize considerably,” says Roberts, also a certified Interior Re-Designer and Home Stager. The rightsizing specialist and her associates at Moving-On With Style first carefully consider dreams of clients for a new stage in life. Taking a personal approach that honors the belongings people have accumulated, they then help clients design strategies that showcase their treasures in the new place.

Roberts understands the emotional need people have to tell stories about the stuff they have lived with for so long while in the process of sorting, packing and moving from a large space to a smaller one.

“It’s not about how much stuff you move, but about moving the right stuff,” she says. “We help clients develop a fresh perspective on the situations they face, and make the most of their space for new life goals.”

Roberts offers the following tips for baby boomers that want to help their parents, elder relatives or friends transition from one place to another:

Start Early. Plan ahead for the move – seniors need time in making these decisions. The shorter the notice, the more emotionally stressful it will be on them.

Start Small. Pick one two-hour project, such as a paper-stacked desk or the ever-present “junk drawer.” It will help them become comfortable with the process of sorting and purging and you’ll be able to see how they manage emotionally.

Strategize the larger projects. Map them out. In the “old place” the desk was in the office. In the “new place,” since there is no office, where will it go?

Slice it. Think in terms of percentages. If Mom is moving from 3000 square feet to 750 square feet, what percentage of linen should she keep?

Sort it. Put colorful dots or different colored sticky notes on items, denoting where the items will go (i.e., green to daughter, blue to son, red to keep, yellow to donate).

Streamline it. Don’t move things that don’t work (such as the kitchen clock that still needs fixing), or that are too hard for them to manage (like the rod iron chair that is too heavy).

Sow it. Know in advance where donations can go, including friends or neighbors. It’s easier to let go of things when you know there are real people who could use them.

Often the best way to handle a moving transition with loved ones is to send for reinforcements and work with an outside party. Emotions can hinder the process, and an objective guide may be the best way to get the job done.

“Family and friends often want to help, but there may be barriers,” says Mary Kay Buysse, Executive Director of NASMM. “Adult children may be sandwiched between their parents, their careers and their own family obligations. For family members living far away, the barriers may be geographic.

“Some seniors have no surviving children,” she adds, “or their children are seniors themselves. If illness or death precipitated the move, the family may already be drained both emotionally and physically. Senior move management has emerged to fill the gaps and to make transitions easier for everyone involved.”

Professional Organizer and Re-Designer and NASMM member Kathleen Roberts owns Denver-based Moving-On With Style, which seeks to help clients develop a fresh perspective on the situations they face, and make the most of their space for new life goals. She can be reached at 303-956-7134

Founded 2002, the National Association of Senior Move Managers (NASMM) strives to facilitate the physical and emotional aspects of relocation for older adults by increasing industry awareness, establishing a national referral network of senior move managers, enhancing the professional competence of members, and promoting the delivery of senior move management services with compassion and integrity. For more information on Senior Move Managers or NASMM, visit www.nasmm.org or contact NASMM directly at 877.606.2766.