If your senior parents have sold their house and are preparing to move into a smaller one, you may need to step in and help them complete the entire moving process. This may involve hiring a moving company for them, helping them pack, and giving them guidance as they decide what to keep and what to get rid of. As you prepare for this big event, here are some tips that may be helpful to you as you create a plan for this event.

Encourage Them To Get Rid of Things

One of the hardest parts of moving to a smaller home is deciding what to get rid of, and this can especially be hard for seniors if they are attached to their belongings. One of the challenges you will face during this time is convincing them to get rid of things. Just simply telling them that they will need to do this may not be enough, but you can ask the following questions to help them decide to get rid of things on their own:

• Have you used the item in the last year?
• Is the item something that you really cannot live without?
• Has the item been stored in a box for many years?
• Will it fit in the new home?
• Does it have sentimental value?

These questions may make it slightly easier for your parents to get rid of things, especially if you motivate them to do so. Downsizing usually involves getting rid of a lot of things, but many seniors do not feel right about throwing things away, which is one of the reasons they do not get rid of things.

To help them with this issue, you could suggest that they donate items to charities, or that they give some of the items to family members. You could also suggest having a garage sale to raise some extra cash to help pay for the moving expenses.

Host a Garage Sale For Them

Preparing for this move will take time, especially if they have lived in the same house for many years, so you may want to begin taking steps at least three or four months before the move will take place. You could do this by working with your parents from room to room in the house. As you work in a room, sort things into piles, making sure that one pile is for their upcoming garage sale.

Once you have gone through everything, schedule the garage sale and start getting ready for it. You will need to price the items and set everything up, and this will help eliminate a lot of the things your parents own. You may also want to encourage them to donate all the leftovers to a charity.

Suggest New Furniture

The final thing you may want to do for this move is suggest that your parents purchase new furniture. If they have been using the same kitchen table set for 30 years, or if they have had the same living room furniture for 20 years, replacing these items might be a good idea.

You could sell the old furniture at the garage sale you host, and you could buy new furniture that will fit and look great inside their new, smaller home. Before you purchase the furniture, you could measure the rooms in their new home to ensure that the items will fit well.

Taking on the task of helping senior parents move can be overwhelming, but you might be the only person available to help them. Keep these tips in mind as you get ready to help them, and always look for a reputable moving company, like Walsh Moving & Storage, to help them move the items to their new home.