There are a lot of emotions that go into any move, especially when it comes to senior moves. In episode 8 of the Moving Unboxed podcast, Andrea is joined by Yonat Lurie, who is a 10-year veteran in the senior move landscape. Yonat shares how she got her start in senior move management, along with insight and advice for those who are navigating a senior move. 

Yonat has a background in the project management space in a variety of industries. Then decided to become a stay-at-home mom to care for her three young children. When she decided to re-enter the workforce, senior move management was a really good way for her to put those executive and project management skills to use. She has now been leading senior moves for the past ten years. 

What is Senior Move Management? 

Senior move management is a specialized niche in the moving industry that is focused on helping older adults and their families navigate the physical, logistical, and emotional hurdles of moving, downsizing, or aging in place. 

How do senior moves differ from regular residential moves? 

A decline in health or mobility is most often the driving factor in a senior move. Downsizing or moving closer to family are also common reasons seniors move. That said, senior moves typically require a lot more time and physical labor and take an emotional toll on the elderly adult and their family members involved. 

While a regular residential move can also be emotionally and physically draining, it is typically driven by positive life changes, like starting a new job, welcoming a baby, upsizing to a larger home, or finding a more affordable city.

Tips for downsizing during a senior move 

Downsizing is hard because belongings hold sentimental value, which makes it more difficult to decide what stays and what goes. Not everyone has family or friends they can pass their stuff down to, and sometimes the family they do have don’t want to take the stuff. That said, there are ways to make downsizing easier in a senior move and still honor the items they have. 

Tips on tackling downsizing during a senior move: 

• Be generous and give your things to people who have complimented you on your things. Don’t hesitate to reach out to family or friends and ask them if it’s something they want. 

• Let your movers manage the donation and distribution of the belongings you choose to leave behind. For clients who don’t want the hassle of donating, selling, or giving away your items, movers have the resources to do that for them. 
• Find exciting ways to use things that are meaningful. For example, turn an old china set into jewelry, which is an amazing way to honor these little pieces. 

This isn’t to say get rid of everything and start new, but rather honor the past and keep the items you enjoy and love the most and will make your new home a liveable space. 

How a Senior Move Advisor Helps During a Move 

A senior move advisor is a problem solver who helps coordinate all the moving pieces during a move, advocate for the senior, and make sure their new home is set up around their needs and mobility.

During a senior move, a senior move manager can: 

• Coordinate the moving process: A senior move manager can help coordinate the move with the moving crew and prioritize the steps that need to be taken. 
• Advocate for the client: Act as the unbiased voice between the elderly adult nd their kids or family members. 
• Lead moving day: Help manage the moving team and handle any hiccups that come up during the day. 
• Provide emotional support: Moving out of a home someone has lived in for years can bring both excitement and sadness. The clients are generally not in the position to manage a team of movers. A senior move manager provides an added level of support throughout the process. 
• Plan around mobility and safety: Organize the new home so items are easy and safe to access, such as avoiding heavy items above shoulder height or below knee level. 

While a senior move manager isn’t a realtor or estate planner, they are problem solvers. They’re really there to lead the move and solve any hiccups that come up during the day. 

Yonat explains that a lot of times motor skills are not necessarily where they used to be. So having a partner that is experienced working with clients like this is huge. She says,

“We plan closets so that we’re not climbing on ladders. We plan closets so that there’s nothing above our shoulders, nothing below our knees. This is just good organization overall, but that becomes even more important as we age.” 

What are some of the biggest struggles during senior move management? 

Some of the biggest struggles during a senior move are downsizing from large homes, the emotions around leaving a long-term home, and making sure the senior still feels in control of the moving process. 

Common struggles during a senior move include: 

• Downsizing from a large home. One of the biggest hurdles is deciding what items you need and what to do with the items you can’t take with you. 
• Leaving a home they’ve been in for years. Moving can bring a lot of sadness and emotion, especially when someone has lived in their home for many years.
• Feeling like they aren’t in control. At times, elderly adults can feel like their agency has been taken away, or people are pressuring them to have their agency taken away. 
• Managing the logistics of the move. Moving is already stressful, and senior moves can involve many additional decisions, logistics, and people to coordinate.

There might be this initial veil of sadness over the next stage of life and saying goodbye to sentimental pieces that no longer serve someone. But once they move into a space that’s more appropriate for their “new” life, they’re so happy and wonder why they didn’t do it years earlier. 

How to choose the right moving company for a senior move? 

When looking for a moving company for a senior move, always look at online reviews, reach out to local senior communities for a referral, compare different quotes, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. 

Things to consider when choosing a moving company: 

• Look at online reviews: Go beyond just reviews on Google and look at Yelp, Bing, and the BBB. 
• Reach out to local senior living communities: They most likely already have moving partners and can give recommendations because they’ve probably worked with these partners for years and they trust their work. 
• Get at least three quotes: Compare the different quotes you receive to narrow it down to the best option. 

How 495 Movers Approach Senior Moves 

495 Movers go beyond coordinating the logistics of a senior move and help set their clients up for their next stage in life by working to identify the needs of this new stage and the items that will help them thrive. 

Yonat shared a personal experience where a client of hers decided to purchase all new kitchen stuff only to realize weeks later that she didn’t need it. Yonat said,

“With my experience as a senior move manager, I can point out those differences in what your new life is going to look like and where we can focus our energies.”

The way that Yonat approaches it in her own line of work is that she is a “daughter for hire”. Senior moves are often very intimate and involve the senior move manager helping the elderly adult downsize their belongings and navigate the emotions that are tied to certain items and the home they are leaving. 

Yonat goes a step further and offers senior organizational support for her clients so that their new home setup matches their level of mobility and needs. For example, nothing is placed too high or too low so people are standing on a stool or bending down to get something, which is a danger to their safety. 

What to expect during a senior move with 495 Movers

• Before the move: 
  • 495 Movers start all of their senior moves with an in-depth discovery call to gather all the move details. 
  • Next comes a visual estimate to review the items they will be moving or putting into storage.
  • Then, after someone books, 495 Movers schedule as many sessions before the move to start the downsizing, decluttering, and pre-packing process and give as much time and space as the client needs. 

• During the move: 
  • The moving crew does a walk-through of the home before anything to properly label items that are and aren’t moving. 
  • The movers then lay down floor and wall protection to ensure no damage to the property during the move. 
  • The senior move manager really runs the show the day of the move. Coordinating with the movers and the clients on the items that are moving and making sure everything gets labeled properly for a smooth unpack. 

• Unpacking: 
  • The moving crew does the heavy lifting reassembling furniture, re-placing the kitchen items, clothes in the closet, hanging picture frames, mantling TV mounts, etc. 
  • The senior move manager is there to ensure everything is set up in the new space, ready for the client to start their new beginning. 

At the end of the day, a senior move manager is there to handle every part of the move while still involving their clients in the process. Any elderly adult should still have control over the move; they just need someone who has the patience, resources, and skills to make the move enjoyable and get them settled into their new home.