It is often said that “managing a move means coordinating a myriad of details.” This move involved a lovely woman, whom we’ll call Sylvia, who suffered a stroke a few years ago that affected her walking gate and was now experiencing short-term memory loss.
This move also involved some “extra” services … those that required project management skills and more than a bit of resourcefulness.
Sylvia is 80 years old with two adult sons, one in California and the other in Virginia. She lived in her home for almost 30 years and had amassed a wealth of family memories and keepsakes, including photos, China, and crystal, as well as a lifetime of crafting materials. Sylvia is active in her church but could no longer drive, so she was now dependent on friends and church people, plus transportation provided by her local Council on Aging.
Sylvia explored communities in California and Virginia and decided the Virginia area was more suited to her budget. She secured a one-bedroom apartment in Maryland in an assisted living community that has a memory unit for her eventual progression.
Transitions Liquidation Services was hired to manage Sylvia’s move and began by securing a senior move manager colleague in Maryland who serviced the community selected by Sylvia and would assist with the move-in process.
We coordinated all details of the move with Sylvia’s two sons and daughters-in-law via email and phone calls. Sylvia’s memory issues prevented her from significantly assisting in the downsizing efforts, as she would not remember what we had accomplished from one session to the next. She also had a difficult time grasping why she couldn’t not take everything with her, especially since everything had such emotional ties.
Sylvia’s confusion worsened and we communicated with the sons using examples to demonstrate how much things were deteriorating. We used packing days to empty many closets and cabinets, so Sylvia did not add things to those that had been decided were going to Maryland.
We vetted and recommended a great realtor who understood the challenges Sylvia was facing and knows the Cape real estate market very well.
As is our practice, we created a floor plan. Sylvia’s desire to retain her furniture, art, and décor made it necessary to position a China cabinet in her bedroom to fit everything in place in an attractive and efficient manner. Our objective is always to design the new home to be familiar and comforting to our client, so the move is as stress-free as possible.
There were many, many “extras” that TLS provided because they were a necessary part of a seamless move and there was no one else to do them. We pride ourselves on being resourceful and flexible in managing every move. We:
- requested a duplicate car title and Social Security benefits summary
- coordinated the sale of the car
- submitted change of address forms
- completed the MD voter registration online
- organized Sylvia’s paperwork
- coordinated the pick-up of items by friends, church, and charity organizations
- located the documents needed to complete her assisted community applications and HELOC application
- changed the address and other info for Sylvia’s beloved cat on its tracking chip
- worked with the realtor/stager to identify items not going in the move that needed to be placed within the Cape home for staging
- completed additional donations on behalf of Sylvia
- arrange for the shipment of items to Sylvia’s son in California
- returned a few days after the moving van left to finish emptying the home and preparing it for sale
- convinced the assisted community to accept craft supplies for their Activity Room
- signed Sylvia up for the choral and flower arranging groups at her new community so she could “hit the ground running” and assimilate quickly.
In addition, TLS provided the son in Virginia with a shopping list of toiletries, cleaning, and other items that needed to be purchased and placed in the new apartment for move-in.
We set up Comcast cable services in Maryland and canceled and returned the cable equipment in the Cape home.
TLS brought in Gentle Giant to complete the move to Virginia which was scheduled to minimize the number of transit days before arriving in Maryland, adding one stop in Virginia to Sylvia’s son’s home to deliver family memorabilia and some furnishings he wanted.
We provided oversight and assistance with the packing and loading of the moving van on the Cape end. We used the Gentle Giant custom inventory software to identify and map the items/location on the floor plan, including the art that needed to be hung on the move-in day by the Maryland senior move manager and crew. We provided them with photographs via text and emails showing the set-up of the China cabinet, end tables, nightstands, and vanity so that all could be positioned in Maryland to “recreate” the rooms in the Cape home.
We reserved pet-friendly hotels for Sylvia and her friend who drove her from the Cape to Maryland.
TLS reserved the guest suite at her assisted community to be available for Sylvia and her friend for a final couple of days before the truck arrived with her belongings.
We investigated and completed the donation of Sylvia’s family memorabilia to Yale University and obtained a donation receipt.
Lastly, we handled all tips for the movers and haulers.
Transitions Liquidation Services will return to the Cape home once it is sold to remove any items not wanted by the buyers and we will arrange for disposition – sale, donation, or disposal.
At TLS we typically do the non-routine … long-distance moves with family living in distant states often present challenges for efficient project management and problem-solving. Fortunately, we are up to the challenge!
To learn more about the services of Transitions Liquidation Services, call Marie LeBlanc at 617-513-0433 or email her. Read about some of our other “not so typical transitions” here.