Senior Living: Moving services for seniors

Q. My husband died three years ago and lately it seems like all my friends are dying, too. My kids live in Northern California and are trying to talk me into moving closer to them, perhaps to a retirement community. I’ve lived in my house for nearly 50 years and every nook and cranny is filled with memories. I don’t know if I want to move and I don’t know where I would even start with sorting and packing.Yours is a very common dilemma facing people these days. You have lived here for so long that you feel that your roots go deep. Take time to examine those roots. Are you connected to a church? Are you involved with local philanthropic or civic organizations? You say your friends are dying and your kids are far away. Are there really any people still here with whom you have connections?

If not, it might make sense to move closer to your children and grandchildren. You might want a house, a condo or perhaps a retirement community. Look on the internet to see what your options are where they live. There might be more of a variety of senior living options than there are here. You won’t know until you start to look. Go visit them and see what there is available.

There are moving services designed just for seniors to help you decide how to sort through all the accumulation of years. They will help you decide what furniture to take with you and what to do with the rest.

Come to a seminar at the YMCA at 1930 Foothill Blvd, La Cañada on Saturday, March 31 at 10 a.m. and hear from experts on just this subject. You are not alone in this dilemma. RSVP to (818) 583-1205.

NANCY TURNEY received a bachelor’s degree in social work and a certificate in gerontology. If you have a specific question you would like answered in this column, email it to lcnews@valleysun.net or call Turney at the Crescenta-Cañada YMCA, (818) 790-0123, ext. 225.