Executive Moving Concierge

Downsizing for Seniors Moving to a Retirement Home

The Complete Guide to Downsizing for Seniors Moving to a Retirement Home

A universal truth: Proactive action is always better than reactive action. Why did I tell you at the very beginning? Because “A better plan of downsizing for seniors to move to a retirement home” is a better situation than “You have to Move to a retirement home next week without any plan.” If you are a senior citizen, the 2nd situation is painful. Surely, it is. 

The fact that you came across this article is great, because in this article, I will share all the necessary information about the downsizing for seniors, moving on from my experience.

You know what downsizing is, if not the next section for you. Following definition for those who is unfamiliar with the term “Downsizing for Seniors Moving.”

What Does It Actually Mean “Downsizing for Seniors Moving” and “Retirement home?”

Downsizing is moving into smaller homes or apartments, including retirement homes. Simply, it is the accumulated activities for seniors while moving. It is a housing system that facilitates senior living. Generally, it is a multi-family housing system.

Downsizing is getting a simplified life and keeping a sustainable lifestyle in a retirement home. When you retire, you most likely prefer fewer items that are the most useful on a day-to-day basis or have sentimental value. Plus, a large house’s maintenance is stressful and expensive.

If you are a resident of Ontario & interested to know about the Retirement Homes Act, click the link to read.

Types of care services in retirement homes

  1. Independent Supported Living: This retirement home option offers care services when needed.
  2. Assisted Living: This retirement home option offers care services like bathing, grooming, and medication support. Moreover, additional services are available if required.
  3. Specialized Dementia Care: This option offers to people with dementia. This category also provides some social, recreational, or fitness activities.
  4. Short-Term Stays: For short time experience in retirement homes.

Pros and Cons of Downsizing for Seniors [Moving to a Retirement Home]

The pros and cons of downsizing for seniors to move to a retirement home will help you to select a proper environment for your future living. There are lots of pros and cons of downsizing for seniors. A few of them are mentioned below for your better understanding –

Pros

Cons

• Cost-effective standard of living

• Safe and secure

• Simple & less stressful life

• Comparatively easy to maintain

• Less investment required

• Independent lifestyle

• In some cases, community companionship is available

• Accessible to community facilities, including medical support

• Lower Utility Bills

• Have the option to be closer to your family members or relatives

• Possible to choose a better area in terms of weather

• Lack of open space

• Moving is required

• Well-organized arrangement could be difficult

• Own care needed

 

Are There Any Downsizing Movers Available to Help You?

Are you prepared to move to a retirement home, or did you make a decision quickly due to health or other life events? It would be best if you found the answer to know the exact purpose of your move. You will find a retirement home and downsizing movers to help you according to your needs and budget.

For anyone, moving is stressful. Downsizing for retirement is more stressful for seniors — the process of decluttering, packing, moving, unpacking… and so on. I reckon for seniors, it may be quite overwhelming.

However, there are some downsizing movers available to help the seniors. So, you can grab their service to move with as little stress as possible.

According to our rating system for movers, we enlisted the top 5 residential movers across Canada as follows-

Tips For Downsizing & Decluttering [Seniors Moving]

Let’s go through those things you should know to downsize and declutter for seniors moving-

Downsizing: Plan Early to Get a Head Start

For empty nesters, a downsizing plan is a head start to moving to a retirement home. Surely it is. Seniors need to decide at the right time to move and save money. From the beginning to execution, follow a plan, checklist, or to-do list to manage your downsizing properly.

Organize a Garage Sale to Declutter Your Belongings

A garage sale is an event where people sell their belongings to others in a neighborhood or community. A garage sale can declutter and clear out unwanted items not being used in your home. You can quickly sell the old stuff you’ve acquired throughout your life; it may be the BEST TIME to hold a garage sale.

If you successfully use social media platforms like Facebook, you can try to take couple of pictures and put items on the Facebook marketplace or Kijiji to try and sell them.

Indeed, It is easy to make some extra cash and clean the home simultaneously! It’s a win-win situation for you and your neighbors.

Pro tip: If your new destination is closer to your family members, you may consider selling those everyday items that are expensive and less used.

Tip to Find the Cost-effective Movers in Canada

3 pro tips for you to find cost-effective movers in Canada are as follows –

  1. Research online reviews and the reputation of movers
  2. Compare prices from different companies
  3. Check insurance coverage
6 Factors to Choosing A Retirement Home

6 Factors to Choosing A Retirement Home

You need to know different aspects of these factors:

  • Suite: Size, Type, Storage Space, Balcony, Outdoor space, Bathing facility
  • Community: Area Type, Community Size, Common gathering, events.
  • Additional Services: Parking, Pet Care, Medical, Laundry, Language support, Housekeeping,
  • Meal facilities: Number of Meals Per Day, Food Type, Cooking Facility
  • Amenities: Open Space, Exercise, Gymnasium, Cafe
  • Activities: Events, Hobby, Tours

To learn more about these factors, click here.

Costs of Retirement Homes in Canada

Now, this part of the information is crucial for you. You need to move to your desired retirement home based on your budget. From my experience, I can say that the main cost of it depends on different locations, additional amenities, and meals in Canada.

A photo describes the dollar expense on retirement homes & additional services in Canada
Dollar expense on retirement homes & additional services in Canada

Seniors Moving to a retirement house will save your money in the long run. The range I want to share with you for moving services starts as low as $500 and can go all the way up to $3,000.

It would all depend on what type of services would you choose: packing, moving, debris removal, unpacking, packing materials, and how many items you would be looking to move. The general rule of thumb is the more different types of services you choose, the more expensive moving will be.

Most of the seniors moving to a retirement house moves are on the lower end which is within the $1,000 range that does not require many movers and space in the truck. Also, if you choose the peak season to move, it may cost you more.

Try to avoid the end and beginning of the month if possible, since many people tend to move around those times. In contrast, choose the off-peak season to save some cash on your wallet.

The following table is the average costs of retirement homes for seniors –

Provinces

Costs of Retirement Homes (Average Range)

Ontario

$2700 – $3300

British Columbia

$2000 – $2500

Alberta

$2500 – $3000

Quebec

$1500 – $1600

Manitoba

$2000 – $2500

Saskatchewan

$2100 – $2700

Nova Scotia

$1,995 – $4,400

Newfoundland and Labrador

$2000 – $4000

New Brunswick

$2100 – $3000

Prince Edward Island

$3000 – $3500

If you want to save some money, read 10 Proven Ways to Save Money on Moving Expenses in Canada.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Which province in Canada has the lowest annual cost for retirement homes?

Answer: Quebec. The average cost for a studio apartment: $1,200 – $1300 per month. For all sizes of apartments: $1,500 – $1600 per month. Due to 2022 inflation around the world, this rate may vary a bit.

Can I bring my car/vehicle to my retirement home?

Sure thing. Mostly, you will find a home for retirement, including parking facilities. Before moving, discuss this facility and associated fees.

How can I make decisions about my stuff when planning to move to a retirement home?

Downsizing for Seniors Moving is easy with just simple 3 steps –

Step 1. Keep a list of items and decide what to keep and what not

Step 2. Decide about unused or old items: To sell on eBay, donate items or throw them out?

Step 3. Once everything is sorted, pack up those items that are staying with you and get ready to move.

Is it possible to bring my pet to my retirement home?

It depends on the internal retirement home policy. Before moving, discuss the pet care facility and associated fees with the retirement home authority.

Wrap up

As a senior, you want your downsizing experience as easy as possible, which most of the time is if you can plan and execute properly in advance.

In the last part of this article, I want to suggest to you again to make a checklist or to-do list to organize your downsizing process. Remember to have a reasonable timeline to do all the necessary research, so you would not make rush decisions.

Try calling several moving companies, get 3 separate quotes from those companies, and see which you would be the most comfortable with.

*To learn more moving tips and tricks, I suggest clicking here.

Every time I request our readers to share this article on their social media. Share it with your friends and family if you think they would benefit from the details provided.

Wish you the best of luck with all seniors moving to a retirement house!

What is Executive Moving
Share with friends:

Find Best Moving Companies in Ontario Today

Related Articles

Moving to South Carolina: Complete Guide

Moving to South Carolina: Complete Guide Moving to South Carolina, affectionately known as the Palmetto State, opens the door to a life rich in culture, history, and natural beauty. Nestled in the Southeastern region of the United States, South Carolina is famous for its warm hospitality, diverse landscapes, and vibrant

Read More »