Every day brings new expertise and new opportunities in our industry. Today, AgePros is putting the spotlight on Senior Move Managers. What they do. How they help. And why they might be a great networking opportunity for Age Pros like you.
Senior Move Managers assist older adults and their families with just about every aspect of relocating. From the emotional to the practical to the financial, their expertise, skills and services are remarkably wide ranging.
And the profession is growing. From its founding in 2002, the National Association of Senior Move Managers — now known as the National Association of Senior & Specialty Move Managers (nasmm) – has grown from 16 companies to over a thousand throughout the United States, Canada and around the world. Among other things, the NASMM spearheads education, accreditation and a code of ethics within the profession.
The need is real.
Consider this:
- According to a recent New York Times article by Paula Span, while people over 65 move less frequently than younger folks, they still represent over 3 million relocations a year. And that rate increases for seniors over 85 or with a disability.
- According to a survey published in the Journal of the American Planning Association, the #1 reason people 75 and older move is to be closer to family. Relocating to better neighborhoods and lowering housing costs were also top drivers.
The challenges are many.
A ParentGiving newletter listed some of the factors that can complicate the process of relocating seniors:
- Many elderly can’t meet the physical and emotional rigors of moving.
- Adult children often don’t live close enough to help a senior move.
- Adult children are, themselves, often too old help.
- Adult children, as well as extended family, can be very reluctant to relocate elderly parents and relatives, even when those elderly are in favor.
- Older adults are usually moving to a smaller space, which can create a considerable downsizing challenge, physically and emotionally.
Expertise that’s up to the task of moving seniors or helping them age in place.
Here’s a by no means complete list of the services typically offered by a full-service Senior Move Managers as noted by Parentgiving:
- Can help develop an overall move or age-in-place plan.
- Organizing, sorting and downsizing.
- Customized floor plans.
- Arranging for the profitable disposal of unwanted items through auction, estate sale, consignment, donation or a combination of these strategies.
- Interviewing, scheduling and managing movers.
- Arranging shipments and storage.
- Professional packing.
- Unpacking and setting up the new home.
- Related services, including cleaning, waste removal, shopping, senior escort, assisting with selection of a realtor and helping prepare an existing home for sale.
In many instances, Senior Move Managers provide these services directly. Other times, they act more like a general contractor, ensuring other providers work together effectively.
Senior Mover Managers. Making a difference. Without making a move.
Take another look at that Senior Move Manager skill set. Designing floor plans that work seniors. Decluttering, and all that goes with it. Cleaning. These are just several examples of services critical to creating a space where seniors can thrive — even if the seniors in question already live there. So, it’s no surprise Senior Move Managers also work with families who want to age-in-place.
We’re not the only people impressed by this growing specialty.
Now that you have a better sense of what Senior Move Managers do, it’s easy to see why they have a wide variety of clients.
- Older adults themselves
- Family members
- Bank and trust officers
- Aging Life Care Professionals
- Elder Law Attorneys
- Social service providers/social workers
- Senior living communities
Have anything to add on the subject of Senior Movers? We’d love to know .
