Early this month, we received a phone call from Jill. Her mother, Martha, had been living in an independent living apartment; however, she recently fell and broke her hip. After a stay in rehab, it was determined that she could no longer live independently. She was to be discharged soon and needed to move directly to an assisted-living apartment.
This is an all-too-common scenario. It’s overwhelming and stressful for families, and it’s traumatic and upsetting for the person who has to move.
Jill lived in Chicago and planned to fly in when it was time for Martha to move. As her POA, Jill gave Martha’s community permission to let us into her current apartment to take photos and furniture measurements.
We held a FaceTime meeting with Jill while in the apartment to exchange thoughts on what Martha may need and want in order to make her new apartment functional and familiar. We then visited Martha’s new assisted living apartment to take more photos and measurements.
After producing a magnetic floor plan kit scaled to her new home, we went to visit Martha at her rehab hospital and added Jill again via Facetime for a collaborative conversation.
Because we had wonderful photos of both places, Martha could see things and tell us what was most important to her to bring to the new place. Our floor plan kit ensured that the things she wanted would fit and allow for plenty of walk space for both Martha and her caregivers. We emailed a photo of the finalized floor plan to Jill.
Jill came to town the day before the move. Instead of having to be at the old apartment the next morning to pack and oversee movers, she could be with her mom during her discharge from rehab. The two of them planned to stop for a quick lunch on their way to Martha’s new home.
Meanwhile, we coordinated plans with one of our regular movers and staffed our team to have Martha’s new apartment unpacked and organized, with art on the walls by 1:00 pm. This would allow plenty of time for the assisted living staff to welcome Martha and complete the intake process.
We communicated with Martha and Jill throughout the morning via text messages and photos to let them know how things were progressing. They arrived on time, to Martha’s attractively arranged and fully functional new apartment.
We toured the old apartment with Jill the next day to survey what was left. She identified items she’d like to have shipped to her home in Chicago and to Martha’s grandson in Texas. At her and Martha’s direction, we arranged for the remaining items to be donated and/or hauled away. By the end of the week, the old apartment was empty, ready for renovation for the next resident.
Although Martha certainly wasn’t happy about having to leave her old apartment, she felt good about being included in the decision-making. By hiring ResettleMe to handle the logistics, the details, and the physical work, when Jill came to town she was able to provide Martha with what no one else could—loving and focused attention from her daughter during a very stressful transition.
Note: Names and identifying details have been changed to protect client confidentiality.
