Mary Holmes It is common for most people to look at the project of decluttering or downsizing and not know where to begin. It can definitely be overwhelming and quite stressful, so quite often, the project ends up on the back burner. At Integrated Move Management, we love helping people make sense of the task and reducing the associated apprehension. Here are some guidelines to get your started: Sort by Room – Some experts recommend sorting through items by type, i.e. gath

By Mary Holmes When I started Integrated Move Management, I knew I would enjoy helping clients during a stressful time in their lives. Moving is ranked among the highest situational stressors. This type of transition typically is even more stressful and emotional for seniors moving from their long time family home. There have been many great and rewarding moments working with our clients. Here are just a few of my top memories: Finding a Needle in a Haystack – It is quite

By Mary Holmes As I have discussed on a number of occasions, downsizing is never easy. There are typically many decisions to be made at a very stressful time in a person’s life. For example, when a senior is transitioning from their life long home to a retirement community – they must decide the right time to move, the right place to move to, what to take with them, how to disperse of their remaining possessions, how to get packed up, and how to accomplish all of the above

By Mary Holmes How do you know if it is the right time to start the process of downsizing? This is a complicated question with no simple answer. First of all, it depends on why you are downsizing. For example, some people decide they want to simplify with a goal of having less “stuff” at a young age. They think they will feel lighter, happier, and a sense of freedom. Some people never downsize. When this happens, typically the adult children of the senior(s) are left to

By Mary Holmes One of our primarily services at Integrated Move Management is to help seniors downsize from their life-long home in order to move to a smaller retirement living situation. This involves determining what possessions should be brought to their new home, creating a floor plan to ensure it will fit, finding good homes for the items they can’t bring, helping them to pack what they are taking and helping them unpack and settle in to their new home. We enjoy every

By Mary Holmes When it comes time for a senior to transition from their life long home into the next stage of life, the range of emotions they may experience is vast, e.g. fear, sadness, confusion, anxiety, loss, relief. Most likely, each of these emotions will come and go throughout the process of transitioning. There are many reasons why a later-life transition can cause such turmoil. For example: Overwhelmed by the Process – Most times a transition for a senior not onl