If there is no son or daughter close by to care for Mom or Dad, it may be time to move an aging parent closer to a family member. This could involve selling the home that may have been in the family for years. It is important to get this done while Mom or Dad is relatively healthy. It gets that much harder to accomplish a move if there are serious health issues. So the question is where. If there are multiple siblings, it makes sense to move Mom or Dad closest to the one willing to take on primary caregiver responsibilities. It would be good if the location is a warmer climate; but is not mandatory. The real issue is proximity to a family member that can take on the responsibility. This may be across country, or across town.
Often an aging loved one may have years of accumulation to dispose of prior to a move. Many people are hoarders. This can be very emotional since everything acquired over decades is viewed as a treasure with memories; but it must be done. Better furniture and or antiques can usually be sold through a consignment store. Even so, it is important to recognize that used furniture usually sells for a fraction of the original purchase price even if it is high quality. A series of garage sales can be implemented to get rid of things of little value. Some things just need to be donated to a charity. Fortunately, there are companies that specialize in donate and discard services to help get rid of things of little value.
If the family can assist with packing household goods that will be shipped, it will provide some shipping cost savings. Of course, time is money. If family members must take off work to pack household goods, it may make more sense to pay the movers to get the job done. The real question will be is Mom or Dad buying a home in the new location, moving in with a relative, or moving into a Senior Care Community, or 55 or older apartment building. Most likely the age and health of the loved one will probably determine the housing solution that is the best choice.
This can be a lot of work, but there are companies like ours, Paragon Home Resources that can manage all the details to make a move as easy as possible. Whether moving across country or across town, Paragon has all the services in place to make it happen efficiently and cost effectively.
