As the elderly population soars in the USA, businesses that serve their needs are thriving. One of the fastest growing senior services is moving seniors during a very difficult time in their life – when they must move because the are unable to live alone or care for themselves.
A senior moving specialist that help seniors transition to a new home – usually a continuing-care facility – must be not only a capable packer, but a counselor who can help smooth the way and calm their fears.
When it’s time to move, a senior moving specialist arranges an estate or moving sale and sorts other items for gifts to friends and family or donation to charities.
Because there are so many variables involved, most senior movers work on an hourly basis, with rates ranging from $40 to $90 an hour, depending on the client’s location.
Hiring a senior moving specialist, also called a senior move manager, is especially popular with adult children of an elderly client. Many of the children are unable to help with the move due to work commitments or living too far away.
With a senior mover to handle the tasks required, such as sorting through many decades of possessions and discussing who gets what, it’s possible to eliminate the arguments that can arise when family members are in charge. Instead, a family can focus on providing emotional support for their elderly parents, most of whom are in their mid-80s.
Most senior move specialists draw a sample floor plan of the new apartment, to make it easier for the client to decide what will fit and what must be sold or given away.
On moving day, the senior moving specialists usually do not handle the actual move, but instead unpack and place everything where the client wishes, sometimes even taking photos of art or collectible arrangements in the old home so it can be re-created just as it was before.
As most senior movers will tell you, it’s important to make the new home feel as much like the old one as possible, with favorite paintings re-hung on the walls, or mementos on the shelves. That makes the new space feel like a home, not a impersonal motel room!
If you’re a caring, compassionate individual, helping seniors relocate could be a great new career for you.
With hourly rates averaging well over $50 an hour, most established senior move managers bring in over $100,000 yearly working full-time, and many have several helpers to handle the growing demand, which can also boost profits.
To learn more, read How To Start A Profitable Senior Relocation Service.