Downsizing With Gentle Transitions

"For Better or Worse, a Later Life Move from the Family Home”

Written by Diane Bjorkman of Gentle Transitions Senior Move Management

After twenty-eight years of life’s work in senior housing, I continue to find that an older adult’s decision to move can carry with it the entire gamut of emotions but at some point involves a feeling of being overwhelmed.  My husband and I own a senior move management company, coordinating all aspects of moves for hundreds of seniors annually. Daily, we hear firsthand how our clients have come to the decision to make a move and the reasons are vast, including wanting less home maintenance responsibilities, a desire to be closer to their children, the need for a stronger support system, and wanting to secure a safety net for potential future health concerns, to mention a few. No matter how one comes to this decision, the factors that go into each individual’s scenario are always unique.

Active, vital seniors who have made a decision to move to independent senior housing, have made a choice to be proactive and move to a setting that will meet their changing needs.  Although the individuals that fall into this category are in control of their decision, there may still a number of aspects that make their transition difficult; sifting through a home of 50+ years, leaving “the old neighborhood” the comfort of familiar turf and family memories.

The families dealing with the decision to move related to diminishing memory capabilities carry a different set of circumstances in which sons and daughters often have the moving process of their parent land in their lap by default.  When family members find themselves in this situation, there may be a lot of emotion attached to the process.  Even when it’s in their best interest, there may be guilt involved in making decisions for one’s parent when mom or dad are resisting the decision being imposed upon them.

Moving can be exciting, joyful, and a relief from the burdens of home maintenance as well as stressful and emotional, and with the joy there may be feelings of loss that accompany the change.  During the course of my career, I’ve seen senior housing options expand multifold.  Years ago, the nursing home was the only choice.  Now there are townhomes, single level accessible homes, condominiums, senior co-ops, continuum of care communities, independent and assisted living and free standing memory care homes that create a semblance of family living.  In addition, there are ever expanding choices for staying in one’s home for much longer than in years past, with reverse mortgages, home health care, in-home companion and medical and non-medical home care.

Even though a career in the field of senior housing has become my life’s path, I can not say what my own choice will be if and when my time comes to make this decision but it’s wonderful to know there are state of the art services and housing options to meet the needs and demands of next year’s “older adult”.