When you go through a move, you take special care with certain belongings, and they are not always the most valuable ones in financial terms. Among the truly valuable items are those that hold our deepest affection.
Extra care is needed when we have to relocate alongside vulnerable loved ones, such as our grandparents or elderly relatives.
A move that involves relocating an older person is considered a delicate journey, whether it takes place locally or beyond the region or country.
Our elders
Life expectancy keeps rising and, regardless of how healthy these people stay, one thing is certain: they gradually become more dependent.
In search of easier mobility and greater independence, older relatives are often moved to safer, smaller homes.
This might mean moving in with their children or other relatives, or providing a home that is easier to get around, with no stairs or areas that pose a risk or require extra effort.
Introducing the idea of changing homes is usually a sensitive topic. Older people have a strong bond with their belongings and their spaces.
The memory of how they got the home, of having enjoyed their children growing up, and of spending their lives there are all reasons to hold on to it.
It helps to reason with them and explain the benefits of staying in a safer space, with rooms that are easier to maintain and that give them independence.
Involving them in choosing the new home, letting them pick the area or the size of the building, is a smart strategy.
If they are told well in advance, the sense of uprooting is softened and the negative impact is kept to a minimum.
It is wise to involve the whole family in explaining the benefits, needs and steps of the move, so the person does not feel pressured by just one relative and end up resisting.
How to make it easier
Even though we know we will meet some resistance to moving, there are strategies to bring older relatives around to the idea step by step.
It is essential to let them see the place they will move to in advance. Take them for a visit so they can get familiar with the surroundings, the parks, the shops and the home itself.
Give them a tour of what will be their room and show them ideas for decorating it, so they can picture the change.
This gradual approach makes the change less abrupt and brings them confidence and calm.
What goes with me
Another delicate task is deciding what to take and what to leave behind, whether for space reasons or because it has no use in the new home.
One way to make this process easier to accept is to suggest they give some of those things away, so they feel their usefulness lives on in the hands of another close loved one.
If, after giving things away, there are still items the older person is reluctant to part with and that do not fit in the new home, you can hire a storage service and give them time to decide what to do with them.
The big day
After plenty of planning and careful packing of their belongings, with the help of our elderly relative, the final day arrives when they will leave the home of so many years for a new one.
Let’s not forget that, even if we have done all the preparation, this day is still very hard for them.
Ask your grandparent in advance whether they want to be present on moving day or would rather wait at the new home for their things to arrive.
Whatever they decide, it is very wise for them to have the emotional support of a loved one. If they choose to take part and travel with the move, make sure a relative goes with them.
Likewise, if they prefer to wait at the new home, set aside time to stay by their side and start arranging a few decorative and practical details, so they always have emotional support.
Letting go of the home where they have lived for many years can be hard, but if we take the right steps we can make it feel closer, giving them the chance to start appreciating their new surroundings.
The most important thing in this process is that our elders feel accompanied by the people they love. At Mudanzas Trallero we help make it possible in Barcelona and Madrid: ask us for a no-obligation quote.
