What exactly does a senior move manager do and where do you get senior move manager training? The first part of that question requires a long answer as a SMM does a lot of things that are centered on assisting a senior, or the family of a senior, with relocating that senior from their home to either a care facility or to the home of another family member. The work involves working with the senior and family members with downsizing.
The downsizing part is huge. It includes consolidating and reducing the amount of belongings and the packaging/transporting of the remaining belongings. Then work shifts to preparing the seniors former residence for sale. This will include cleaning, repairing where required and home staging. A realtor will then need to be chosen, the home listed and sold.
If the senior is not moving to be with family, you may have to find a suitable location for your client and organize all the steps required for the move including packaging and labeling current belongings and booking a moving company. Once the move is complete the CMM will be involved in the unpacking and organizing of belongings in the new residence.
Although it sounds like something family members would normally do, with families where all members are working, have schedules that are full or do not live nearby and are otherwise unable to assist, this is where the senior move manager fits into the equation.
The interesting thing to point out about the role of a SMM is that the duties listed so far are by no means the tasks in which a SMM is directly associated. That is to say, as a senior move manager you actually coordinate the crews and people who will do the cleaning, home repairs, packing and unpacking of belongings – not you!
Essentially you are like a general contractor who schedules the trades’ people on a construction site to do the work that they are qualified to do. As a senior move manager you contact and schedule the qualified people to carry out the tasks required to assist with the senior you are moving out of their home. Of course, if you want, you can pitch in and help with packing or sorting as well.
The most challenging part of the job will be connected to the downsizing where some clients will have difficulty parting with cherished belongings, or clients who know they must move but need a bit of convincing. So, in a way, a good senior move manager has to be a good listener, understanding but also a good negotiator able to use reasoning and common sense in what may become sensitive situations.
It is with these skills that you may be able to provide alternatives that will satisfy your customer and still result in downsizing. Some cherished belongings may be suitable for distribution to other family members with others possibly going to charity to provide for someone in need. These decisions will vary from client to client, but in most cases the issue is not so much the downsizing as the way in which it is done.
If you are compassionate and show you care about belongings that are not yours, you will be able to assist in the decision making process of where some belongings will end up going.
Senior move manager training on the other hand is a whole different matter. There are associations in existence that provide the programs necessary for one to become a SMM. The National Association of Senior Move Managers provides education and training and Caring Transitions has franchises in both the United States and Canada. The training program it offers can be done at home.
Smooth Transitions operates in the US, Canada and New Zealand providing training and licenses and eSMMART trains SMMs in the US and Canada. They vary slightly from state to state and province to province with one thing in common, the programs cost a lot of money. The average cost for training and licensing to become a senior move manager is $5,000!
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