A Moving Experience
Martha and Floyd Stott have no trouble with the idea of moving.
The La Mirada retirees say it’s time to scale down, move to a small townhouse closer to their daughter and try to steer clear of the freeways.
But the sweat, muscle--and emotional turmoil--of moving? That was the trouble.
“It is just overwhelming,” says Martha as she walks through her two-story, three-bedroom home, opening closets, cabinets and bureaus.
“Look at this. This is terrible. I’m Imelda,” she says, waving a hand at a closet shelf filled with shoes.
Floyd, 81, chimes in then, as if to relieve some of his wife’s clutter guilt: “The garage is a nightmare.”
But following along, nodding calmly and taking notes, is Greg Gunderson, a specialist in the gentle art of helping the elderly sift and sort through a lifetime of household possessions when they decide to move.
Moving is nobody’s idea of fun. But for the elderly, who usually must whittle down possessions for a move into a smaller place, think about leaving a long-familiar community and perhaps deal with health problems, the task is daunting, says Marilyn Williams, a marketing representative for Rossmoor Regency, a senior community in Laguna Hills.
“They get very distraught about having to move,” says Williams, who refers potential residents to Gunderson’s business, Gentle Transitions, when they say the only obstacle to their moving is the job of moving.
“It’s overwhelming when they think about what they have to do. But he has been able to move people who have basically said to me, ‘There’s absolutely no way I can do it. No way,’ ” Williams say.
Gunderson says he knows what the elderly are going through when they move. Gentle Transitions grew from his family’s experience. After Gunderson’s mother, Mercedes, moved her own mother in 1987 from her lifelong home in a small Wisconsin town to Minneapolis, she decided to turn what she had learned into a business in that city.
In 1994, Gunderson was ready to leave his corporate career as a buyer. So another branch of Gentle Transitions was born, this time in Gunderson’s home office in Manhattan Beach.
“It’s very rewarding,” he says. “The rewards are immediate. The impact you can make is so great.
“A lot of times what we do is not really practical stuff. With some clients we do the hand-holding kind of thing, being an advocate, being a friend, being someone they can call.”
That often extends to the clients’ adult children, who are often overwhelmed not just by the work of moving, but also the emotional upheaval, Gunderson says. “A lot of times we’re helping Mom move out of the only childhood house that the daughter has ever known. Mom may be fine with it, but the daughter isn’t.”
But the “practical stuff” is still a huge part of every move and accounts for most of Gentle Transitions’ fee: $36 an hour, with the average move costing about $1,000.
Combining patience, muscle and countless organizational tactics, Gunderson and his staff help seniors from the moment they decide to move to the day they step into their new home.
They help clients sort through their stuff, using a labeling system that lets everyone know what goes to the new home and what goes to the garage sale, estate handler, family or charity. For special collections and antiques, they call dealers who can make decent offers. They deal with utilities, phone companies and movers. They pack everything.
And they unpack everything. When seniors walk into their new homes at the end of moving day--Gunderson recommends they spend the day with a good friend or family--everything is in its place. If the bedroom slippers were always on the right side of the bed, that’s where they’ll be again. Alarm clocks, toothbrushes, knickknacks, television remote control and tissue box will all be where they were kept at the old home.
The furniture will fit and no chair or table will block the path to the bathroom, drapery pulls or light switch. Gunderson measures the new home before moving day and goes over the measurements with his clients to help them carefully select which furniture to take.
For Al and Ruth Engle, the result was comforting when they left their Alta Loma home of 25 years for a senior apartment at Atherton Baptist Home in Alhambra. Even the dish drainer was under the sink, says Ruth, 86. Al, 88, was relieved to see the phone and television already hooked up.
“It looked like home. We had brought our two big recliners, because that’s where we take our naps,” Ruth says, chuckling. “It was great because it was all our things. It was all things familiar.”
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Smooth Moves
If you must help an older parent or family member move, here are a few tips from Greg Gunderson to help smooth the way.
* “Measure, measure, measure” the new home, apartment or suite. Measure the closet rod too. Count the drawers and shelves. Once you know how much will fit, then the seniors can choose what they truly want and start making choices about what to take, give away or sell.
* Talk to neighbors and friends to find a reputable person to run an estate sale.
* Make as many decisions before moving day as possible.
* Unpack without your parents there. Plan a pleasant and restful day for them, while you and others plow through the boxes and bring order to the new home. They may enjoy taking care of some of the finishing touches, but confronting unmade beds and a tiny suite crammed with packing boxes is too stressful. Assure your loved one that you’ll happily rearrange whatever isn’t just right.
