Helping
With a Long Distance Move
Problem:
Dr.
L., a retired dentist, who had developed dementia, and Mrs.
L. his wife, who had severe arthritis and required caregiving
assistance daily, needed to move out of their independent
living apartment and move across the country to live near
their physician son in an assisted living facility. The facility
that he had chosen did not have an apartment big enough to
fit the furniture that Mrs. L. wished to take, and had a waiting
list to get in.
Solution:
The
social worker who was working with Dr. and Mrs. L. referred
them to Moving Forward to help with moving tips, a floor plan,
downsizing, packing, and making arrangements for their move.
At the introductory visit, Moving Forward’s team leader
did some quick measurements of some of the key pieces of furniture
and showed Mrs. L. how difficult it would be to fit them into
the assisted living facility using the floor plans that she
had available. After the visit, the team leader called a Senior
Move Management company in the city where Dr. and Mrs. L.
were moving, to alert them of a possible job unpacking. She
described the floor plan dilemma, and the other company suggested
the son look into another assisted living facility in the
area that they knew had larger apartments. After researching
this new facility, the son was happy to finalize the arrangements
for his parents, not only because his mother was thrilled
to have more living space, but also because there was an immediate
opening! Moving Forward's team leader returned and completed
a full floor plan using the schematic faxed by the new facility.
At that visit, resources for donations and consignments were
discussed and a plan made. The family was given the names
of 3 trusted moving companies to interview and they chose
the one that could guarantee a specific arrival date since
they needed to fly out the night that the pack would take
place and their son's schedule was tight. This also made scheduling
easier for the company on the receiving end to arrange for
the unpack.
Follow
Up:
The
pack and unpack took place as scheduled with no problems.
Mrs. L. was able to make arrangements for everything she needed
to dispose of or sell, using her caregiver’s assistance
and choosing companies that offered pick-up service. Mrs.
L. was satisfied with the amount of treasured items she was
still able to keep, and her son was relieved not only to have
someone to do the work he was unable to do, but to have his
parents nearby in a time frame that exceeded his expectations
by several months.
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