No one happily anticipates moving out of their home and into a retirement facility. Few young adults plan for such an eventuality. Small children who fantasize about what it will be like to be a grown up are incapable of envisioning such a thing. Even people who are actively planning for retirement seldom consider the possibility of no longer possessing their home. What this means is that the process of moving into a retirement facility is not as well planned as other possibilities.
A lot can go wrong when it is not a part of a long-term plan. Many of the little things tend to be forgotten or neglected. Some of those little things can have huge impacts on the final outcome. Retirement is no small matter. It is one of the most emotionally charged periods of life there is. It represents the time when you are no longer the master of your industry. You have to stand back and let someone else take over. You have to find some other way to define yourself. You have to find something to do with yourself for the next 30 years. Then, there is the home:
Sell Everything That Doesn’t Matter
There is an excellent chance that the part of the retirement facility you move into will be smaller than your home. Therefore, you are not just selling off the home, but almost everything within. It will take you some time to figure out what you want to keep. Next, you have to decide what items you will give away to family and friends. That still leaves a lot more than you might have first thought.
You can organize a tasteful sale of the well-loved goods. Get a 10 x 10 pop up canopy tent like the kind you see at trade shows and other events. They look very professional and really draw the eye to what you are trying to show. People will not just drive by your sale; they will stop and engage. That is what you need to maximize your return. When you think of garage sale what comes to mind? Probably old junk and children’s toys. When you think estate sale, yes you think death but also you think of antiques, expensive items, and hidden treasures. Even for a garage sale, you need to do some marketing!
The reason you want to handle the sale yourself is to gain a sense of closure. It will help you say goodbye to one phase of life and prepare for the next. It can be quite cathartic, not to mention, profitable.
Make a List of Everything Important
Your memory might be tac-sharp. If you are very lucky, it will stay that way. But loss of memory is not the only reason you have for making written lists of everything that is important in your life before moving into a retirement facility. Perhaps the most important list of all is your conditions and medications.
Should you become sick or injured, potential care-givers need to know your conditions and what you are taking to treat them. A caregiver can’t help you with your pain if they know nothing about your arthritis. A nurse or EMT needs to know your conditions and your medications. If you are not communicable, you should have a list that others can easily access.
Put Everyone on ICE Who Can Help in an Emergency
In case of emergency, who will be contacted and how will someone know to contact them? If you use an iPhone, you can add emergency contacts that other people can access. That is likely the first thing emergency first-responders will check when the time comes. You can also do this for Android phones.
You should also make a print version of your emergency contacts and leave a copy on the nightstand, the kitchen counter, and everywhere else someone might see it in an emergency situation. Be sure to include all of the people who know you well enough to be of use. Your main pick might not be available. So make sure there are plenty of people on the list who can spring into action, and who can contact others.
Retirement has its challenges. No one wants to move into a retirement facility if they can help it. That said, it is a great choice for many seniors. If you find yourself in that position, don’t leave the details to chance. Sell everything you can. Make lists of everything important. And build an emergency contact list of everyone you trust.