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The four-bedroom home that Ray and Pete Negren lived in for 20 years in Auburn, Washington, is about 2,400 square feet. The two-bedroom apartment awaiting them in an adjoining independent and assisted living complex was less than half that size.
Their daughter, Bonnie Ray Negrin, said they were moving in — “maybe a little reluctantly” — because they both had heart valve replacement surgery last year, and Beth Negrin also had complications. The single step from the living room to the dining room, or to the family room, was made difficult for her with a walker.
I fell already. “They considered it something very minor, but it really opened our eyes,” said Bonnie Ray. “Another fall could make a huge difference in their lives.”
The couple’s three children suggested that with Beth, 85, suffering from multiple sclerosis, and Ray, 87, suffering from heart failure, “maybe it’s time to downsize and move into the retirement community,” Bonnie Ray said.
Earlier this year, the family began sorting through their estate of 65 years. “When excavating, we realized how much stuff they had,” recalls Mrs. Nygrín. “How many towels do you need? What dishes do you want to take? What pictures do you want on the walls? What about the things you can’t take?” The process felt overwhelming.
The family had never heard of the top transportation managers until some of them were recommended by the retirement facility, incl RR Move Inc
The elder Nygrens almost refused when owner Rebecca Ricards walked through their home, talked to them about their concerns, took plenty of photos—and quoted a $5,400 price tag for planning the move, packing their belongings and setting up new accommodation, not including moving the truck and movers.
But reassured by her experience and confidence, they hired her, and their son contributed a large part of the costs.
About 1100 such companies belong to National Association of Senior and Professional Movement Directorswhich offers training and certification, and requires members to carry liability insurance and adhere to a code of ethics.
Depending on clients’ needs, moving manager services include sorting and organizing belongings, working with a moving company and using a floor plan to determine what would fit in the new residence.
They prepare the new home, from the spices in the cupboards to the towels on the shelves; They can sell, donate or dispose of what is left behind. Although Ms. Rickards charges by job, most transportation managers charge $65 to $125 an hour, with significant regional variations, said Mary Kay Boise, the association’s co-executive director.
This is not within everyone’s means, but most clients move into paid private living facilities, often after selling a home, and can afford the additional expense. Customers on smaller budgets may be able to purchase some services, but not the entire package. Family members may also help defray the costs.
“It’s not just about packing and unpacking,” Ms. Boesy said. “He works with clients and family for weeks or months, and goes through their possessions for a lifetime. You have to be a good listener.”
Older people move places much less frequently than younger people. a Census Bureau report In 2022, it was found that from 2015 to 2019, about 6.2 percent of the population over the age of 65 moved in a given year, compared to about 15 percent of the younger population. However, the emigration of the elderly exceeds three million adults annually. The rate rose among those over 85 and those with disabilities.
Most common reason for moving? Living close to family members topped the list, especially among those 75 and older, according to poll It was published in the Journal of the American Planning Association last year. Respondents also cited better neighborhoods and lower housing costs.
Although senior transportation managers often work with adult children to help move their parents, the industry is seeing a rise in younger seniors hiring managers themselves, Ms Boesy added.
New York native Alyssa Pallott had already downsized from a house in Florida to an apartment in Chicago when, in 2021, she decided, “It’s time to move into her own.” But selling her Chicago home while finding an apartment in New York during the pandemic has become “nervous breakdown time,” said Ms. Pallot, 67, a retired attorney. “There were all these balls in the air — a few too many.”
Dawson Transportation Services In Chicago it cost her less than $1,000 ($65 an hour) to coordinate the move. “I was able to schedule a flight with some bags and leave everything else to them,” said Ms. Pallott. “It was a miracle.”
She unpacked on her own, but didn’t have to come back to clean and lock up her Chicago apartment. Marnie Dawson even helped out with her claims when the movers struck a pair of Mrs. Pallott’s possessions.
(Besides senior moving managers, older movers may encounter real estate agents, attorneys, senior living staff, and other “Certified transportation and relocation professionals. About 1,000 individuals have passed this certification exam, said Donna Serges Tatum, president of the Certification Council for Certified Moving and Relocation Professionals. The National Association of Realtors also determinesSenior real estate professionals. “)
Transporting seniors presents special challenges. Unlike younger movers, they generally turn to smaller spaces, not larger ones – after decades of time to put things together. Their families are often involved, through thick and thin.
The transportation manager must be part social worker. “We sometimes deal with people with cognitive problems. Family dynamics come into play,” said Diane Bjorkman, whose company serves Twin Cities. Nice transitionsis probably the oldest and largest transportation management company in the country.
A professional who is often non-judgmental can calm tensions. “It’s not that you’re telling your mom, ‘Don’t take the torn chair,’” Ms. Bjorkman said. “It’s someone else saying, ‘Maybe another chair will work better.’”
My sister and I I hired a senior transfer manager For our dad, who was moving into an independent living apartment, when it became apparent that debating things like exactly how many similar plastic bulbs he needed could take months. We were referred to a third party.
However, in the end, the customer decides. Ms. Bjorkman recalls that one woman who had not cooked for 20 years insisted she needed to stick to a certain roasting pan. The woman also argued that, as someone who remembers the Depression, the freestanding freezer was an important source of comfort—even if it was filled with expired food.
Ms. Bjorkman said the roasting tray could be disassembled to fit under the bed in the new apartment. The freezer, still full of food, served as a side table for the living room.
The Negrin family did not make such unusual requests. Their kids dealt with weeks of sorting and peeling, and Ray Negrin—a retired engineer—draw detailed blueprints for the new apartment, showing where things should go.
RR Move Co did the rest, and you packed them up one day in March and moved them to their new apartment the next day. At around 6 p.m., Mrs. Rickards and her crew phoned the family to say they were ready for what she calls “the big reveal.”
“We walked in, and it was like entering your house,” Beth Nygren said, sobbing on the phone. There were no boxes in sight. The transportation managers had made the beds, set the clocks, and made sure Ray’s computer worked.
“Everything was in its place: clothes in the closet, pictures on the wall, things in the drawers,” said Mrs. Nygrín. “You can just start living.”
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