single storey house in Cambridge

Moving Home as an Elderly Person – What to Consider

Moving home at any age can be stressful as well as exciting but for elderly people there can be added complications and things to think about.

Many older people decide to move home mainly for practical reasons. Perhaps their current home is too big and becoming unmanageable if for instance the person is struggling with reduced mobility. Or maybe they need to move closer to family and friends in order to access care and support. Other reasons can be financial such as the need to raise funds for future care needs. Decisions could include what type of new home do you need and how much space?

One thing many elderly people worry about is having to go into residential care if they become too infirm to manage but research has shown that some 97% of people in the UK express a wish to remain in their own homes throughout their senior years. Let’s briefly take a look at on how you can achieve this and still access elderly care if needed.

De-clutter but keep the memories

One of the hardest things about moving home – and especially to a smaller home – is having to discard possessions and family mementos from your present home, which is probably full of memories . The prospect of throwing away precious belongings can for some people be a reason to put off a house move altogether. Even though moving would be beneficial to health and wellbeing. But decluttering and reducing the amount of possessions doesn’t mean discarding everything you hold dear. Instead it’s a chance to focus on keeping the truly meaningful possessions.

For this reason it is important to get family members and friends on board to help and support you throughout this process. After all it’s a stressful time in your life. Ask family and friends to help you sort through belongings and paperwork to decide what to keep. This can help to deal with the  emotional impact and stress of decluttering in preparation for moving.

 

Moving with one eye on the future

If you are downsizing then the chances are you will be able to manage a smaller home without any additional help (although  a gardener and/or cleaner can really help ease the maintenance burden). However, as everyone ages there is always the concern that there will come a time when you can’t manage to look after yourself and need more help in the home and maybe also personal care. Fortunately, there are some excellent home care companies that can provide home care services where a professional carer comes into your home on a regular basis in order to help you continue to live in your own homes.

But what about if your care needs could not be met by regular home care visits ?

As the vast majority of people want to stay in their own home in their later years a very important consideration when down-sizing is to consider whether you would still have room for a live-in carer should the need arise. A live-in carer provides 24/7 care in your own home so is a perfect alternative for so many of us who don’t want to move in to a care home. However, when you have live-in care it is essential that the new home has a good-sized spare room which could be the carer’s private space. They will need their own personal space in order to best carry out their tasks as professionally as possible.

 

Get Specialist Help

Moving someone from a home where they may have lived for many years can require the services of a company that specialises in helping elderly people relocate. If family and friends are unable to help then having someone who understands about the stresses and strains felt by older people leaving a much loved home can help the whole thing go as smoothly as possible. A specialist mover can understand and appreciate the memories and emotions tied up in precious belongings and furniture. Anything which offers support throughout the experience is important to help them feel they’re doing the right thing.