How to Know if Your Parents are Ready for an Address Change

How old are your parents? If that number starts with a seven or higher, you might be wondering if it’s a good idea for them to live alone. While there’s no hard and fast answer, there are certain things to keep your eye on to determine if it’s time to start thinking about a more senior-suitable situation, whether that’s independent living or moving in with you.

How Do I Know It’s Time?

According to Family Tree Private Care, there are many different things that might indicate your mom or dad can’t stay solo any longer. If they hide their problems, get lost going to familiar places, or start having trouble with hygiene, toileting, or cooking, there’s a good chance they need more help than they can receive living alone.

What You Can Do

While what you can actually do may be limited by how your parents react to your concerns, there are some steps you can take that will help you be proactive when the time comes.

Creating lists to stay organized
Hiring a professional organizer
Looking at the cost of independent living versus staying with you

When to Call a Professional

When you need help downsizing, Efficient Spaces has you covered. We can help your Mom/Dad sort through years of possessions with passion and compassion. Our goal is to help your parents reduce stress during the highly emotional process of purging what might have been their home for many years. With Jenny in your corner, your parents will be able to tackle the daunting task of sorting through their home with courage and confidence.

Services Efficient Spaces Provides for a Seamless Transition:

- Help parents make decisions they will be happy with

- Pack possessions, including clothing and sentimental items

- Consign valuable furniture and take donations to thrift store

- Organize and label important personal & financial records

- Coordinate estate sale

- Coordinate moving day

- Unpack and set up new space for your parents comfort

You can also help your parents by staying organized throughout the process. After you bring up a possible move, it’s time to get proactive. If you don’t have time or energy to help them go through their years’ worth of possessions and memories, a professional organizer or move manager will save you time & frustration. Not only that, we help break the huge, daunting project into doable steps.

S/he will manage the whole move, if that’s what you need, from the moving plan to unpacking the last box in their new place. S/he will help you create a plan of what to do, when to do it, and therefore make the transition as smooth as possible.

Senior Living Options

If you research the cost of independent living, it’s important to understand that this can change from city to city and even unit to unit. A Place For Mom says the average cost is around $3,170 per month.

Of course, not everyone has this much money set aside, so it might make sense to move your Mom or Dad in with you. There are expenses here, too, such as creating a private suite complete with a bathroom or adding what’s known as a granny pod, which is a modern-day, detached in-law suite.

Finally, if all else fails, go shopping. Together, look for some appealing options for things like pillows, bedding, wallpaper, etc. that might get your parents excited about the prospect of changing their environment. The internet is a great place to start, and you can do that together from a laptop.

Of course, they’ll want to keep a few sentimental things, such as family heirlooms and photo albums to peruse later. Also, it helps them feel at home if they can bring a few key pieces of their own furniture, accents and art with them.

A Little Compassion Goes a Long Way

Finally, and most importantly, make sure that you address the potential for their move compassionately. Remember, these are the people/person that raised you, and they don’t want to be talked down to. It’s up to you to look at things from their perspective and to maintain an open line of communication throughout the process. You may have to find a compromise in the beginning, so be patient. It takes time, but your parent/s will eventually understand that you’re stepping in and looking out for their best interest.

Low on time but need to get organized? Download Jenny’s book, Get Organized Quick: 15 Minutes A Day To Organize Your Life, and watch your house go cluttered to orderly in minutes each day.

Related posts: Start Downsizing Now: https://efficientspaces.org/start-downsizing/

Good Advice for Letting Go: https://efficientspaces.org/good-advice-letting-downsize/

downsizing efficient spaces blog family Moving packing purging

Jennifer Morin

Professional Organizer Jenny Morin works with companies and individuals to create organization and effective time management. She speaks and trains companies/teams, teaching time management and workplace organization. As an organizer, she serves business owners and homeowners. As a time management coach, she serves anyone willing to change and improve. Based in Southern Oregon: Medford, Grants Pass, and Ashland areas.