A senior cannot just move and be done with it. It needs an awful lot of planning. If you are a caregiver, you might want to consider that as well when convincing a senior to move. For a senior, it is a big event, a big turn-around in their life so don’t ever think that it would be taken lightly. It also means downsizing – losing some of their most beloved stuff and selecting only those they consider as the most important, usually just a couple of photos and legal documents which the senior will need later in life.

If you are still on “convincing” stages, you might want to take note of these things:

* Talk about how living in such a big house is no longer suitable for a senior especially if he or she is living alone.
* A big house will require more maintenance than a smaller space or even a shared space. Point out that (if moving in a senior home), someone will do the cleaning for them and they can now focus on the things that they cared the most.
* Their home might not be suitable anymore since they need a more senior-friendly place to live in complete with assistive devices installed. It is quote expensive to install these things in their homes.
* It is not anymore safe for a senior to be living alone.

The idea is to point out that it is not anymore practical for them to be staying in their home, never harp on their age as it has nothing to do with the moving, although it is closely associated. Just stick on the facts please.

Another moving difficulty that you might encounter when moving a senior is the downsizing part. As their caregiver, you must be able to pinpoint the importance of downsizing and why exactly they need it. Put emphasis that downsizing is done for them, not for anybody else. Get other family members involved, especially close friends. This will also eliminate conflicts over properties that a family member is expecting to receive as well as those heirlooms they would rather not receive.
Moving is really tough especially for seniors who are used to living on their own or just plain living in their own houses with friends and family nearby. As caregivers, do understand that this is something you would not like to do in a haste. Give your senior ample time to think things over and to prepare themselves. Eventually they will see your point and will be more pliable to the idea of moving. Make sure that the facility where you’ll move your senior provides quality service and friendly-enough staff to make your senior comfortable.