Founded in 2008, Dawson Relocation Services helps seniors and their families with the process of downsizing and moving to a new home. An active member of the National Association of Senior Move Managers, Marnie engages with colleagues nationally to stay informed of best practices for serving the needs of her clients. She serves on the board of the Illinois Continuity of Care – Chicago Chapter, where she meets with other professionals serving the needs of seniors.

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Can you tell us a little about your company?

I have five part-time people who work with me and we are able to come in very quickly to assist people when they decide to move into assisted living or downsize.  We can do everything from sorting through personal possessions to whittle down what is to be moved and packing it up to measuring the new space, determining the furniture placement and coordinating the actual move with the person’s movers.  The person doesn’t even have to be there if they don’t want to be!

How are you different from other relocation services?

We are a small company and able to provide very personalized services.  We meet with the client to help them decide what to sell, donate, give away or repurpose. Helping them select the furniture that will work the best in their new space is also part of our services.  I often tell people “I speak mover,” so we are able to assist them in coordinating the actual move and they don’t have to worry about a thing. We are fully insured, we also adhere to the association’s standards and ethics, so people can be assured that we are a reputable company.

What is the most challenging part of downsizing for most people?

Often, my clients are in their 80’s and 90’s and the physical process of moving can be very difficult for them. Most have lived in their homes for a very long time and accumulated a lot of possessions.  It can be very overwhelming for them and hard to decide what to part with.  We create a plan and move through the process with them.  We all have an emotional attachment to our “stuff” and having a neutral third party help sort through it makes it easier to let go.

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What do you do when people don’t want to part with their possessions?

It is up to the person to decide what stays or goes.  I listen to their stories and help them focus on the space they will have available to them in their new home and how to best utilize it.  I listen to their stories and am there for emotional support and to provide a reality check.  I sometimes play the role of “task master” but mostly, I am there to remind them of the amount of space they have to work with and what will fit and what won’t.  Ultimately, they have the right to say “no” and decide if they want to keep something.

What can people expect to pay for your services?

I charge a very reasonable hourly rate for my services and the consultation is complimentary. The cost depends on how much of the move they want us to manage.  We provide an estimate prior to doing any work so people know what to expect, but depending on what needs to be done, it can be as little as a couple hundred dollars.

Will you help organize/downsize someone even if they are not going to be moving?

Certainly!  I have helped people who are going through a divorce and selling their home and some people come to me years before they plan to move to prepare for their eventual move to a senior living community or apartment.  We also help empty nesters who are moving to a smaller home or repurposing rooms in their existing homes.

Marnie enjoys work her work immensely and finds it very rewarding. Helping families and elderly people who are struggling with the overwhelming task of preparing for a move and taking away the stress is the main reason Marnie got into this business.  She understands that sorting through one’s life and working with movers is not always easy and is glad to lend a hand, dig through a basement, clean drawers and closets – whatever it takes to make the process easier.

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Benefits of downsizing in retirement

As we age, our needs change over time, especially with regard to our living situation. For many seniors, it’s not unusual to find themselves living in a house that is too big for them, particularly after their families have moved out. What’s more, possessions can accumulate at an alarming rate, and oftentimes the same individuals find themselves staring into the overstuffed junk drawer in the kitchen or the messy garage and wondering, Where did all of this come from? Do I really need all of this?

And while there’s nothing wrong with living comfortably, many people—particularly seniors who are considering a different living situation—find that after a while, their possessions and space begin to feel like more of a burden than anything else.

Whatever your reasons are for downsizing, moving into a smaller space can be a difficult process. However, it can also be a rewarding one, particularly if you use it as an opportunity to shed the things that are no longer useful to you. Here, we’ll discuss some of the benefits of downsizing in retirement, as well as going over a few helpful strategies for how to start decluttering.

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How To Know If You’re Ready To Downsize

When it comes to downsizing in retirement, there’s no correct age or one-size-fits-all rule about when you should do it. The right time to downsize will depend on your individual circumstances and preferences. However, there are a few factors that can serve as a helpful guide in approaching the decision:

• Finances. Will your retirement savings and/or current income allow you to maintain your home comfortably? Would moving to a more inexpensive home free up money that you would rather use for something else (such as traveling)? Or based on your savings and assets, does it make sense to consider moving to a continuing care or Life Plan Community?
• Safety and Health. Is your current home equipped in such a way that you will still be able to move around easily and comfortably, even if you experience health or mobility problems in the future?https://cintaahomecare.com/hyperthermia-risk-of-heat-related-health-problems-increases-with-age/
• Space and Logistics. Be honest with yourself—do you really need all of the space in your current home? What’s more, do you have time and energy to continue maintaining it?

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Decluttering for Seniors: Getting Started

If you’ve decided to make the transition to a smaller space, odds are that you’ll have some decluttering to do. While the prospect of parting with some or most of your things may seem overwhelming, it can also produce positive change in your life. For example, experts agree that the benefits of decluttering include more energy and less anxiety, and that it can even lead to improvements in your health and productivity.

Here are a few helpful downsizing tips for seniors when the time comes:

• Have a plan.
  As with any large project, it will be extremely important to break the decluttering process up into manageable chunks rather than trying to tackle the whole thing at once. Consider tackling your home by rooms or sections, or finding some other way to divide the work up before you get started.
• Start early.
  Giving yourself plenty of time to downsize will be essential for reducing unnecessary stress. You won’t regret starting too soon, but you will definitely regret starting too late.
• Technology is your friend.
  Paper clutter in the form of old records, letters, photos, and mementos can take up a lot of space. Rather than hauling around boxes filled with the hard copies, consider scanning them and uploading them to cloud storage.
• Separate the memories from the items.
  Sentimental value is one of the biggest reasons that people tend to hold onto things, even if they rarely use them. While keeping a few precious mementos is normal, hanging on to too many can get problematic. Keep the things that you absolutely can’t bear to part with, and for the rest of them, remind yourself that the memories live in your heart, not the physical item. If you need to, you can always take pictures of the object and save them in a photo album.
• Hire a professional.
  Moving later in life can be a daunting prospect. Fortunately, there are a number of local and national resources available to help with the process of organizing, decluttering, and downsizing. These services are specifically intended to help seniors ease the transition into a smaller home or community, and offer a range of services from moving to packing/unpacking, and more. By bringing in professional help you’ll not only save yourself time and energy, but will also reduce the potential burden on your adult children and other family members.

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CINTAA Elder care shares useful information regarding healthcare on weekly basis. The post is only for information purpose only. Please check with your health care professional before using this information. To keep yourself updated with many other health tips, stay with us. We provide certified caregivers for seniors at home. If you need any help regarding eldercare, please feel free to call us today at 561-963-1915.