Seniors on the move: Choosing family over weather

The moves made by seniors today are vastly different from those made 20 or 25 years ago, according to experts.

A quarter century ago, retirees were moving south in droves - heading to Florida and Arizona, in particular, to escape snow, ice and cold.

But preferences seem to have changed a bit in recent years, according to Mary Kay Buysse, executive director of the National Association of Senior Move Managers, based in Hinsdale.

"And now that the oldest baby boomers are 71, things are changing even more. We still have snow birds who move south as a right of passage. But many baby boomers are choosing to instead live close to their grown children and their grandchildren - even if that involves moving cross-country to somewhere that is not warm."

A generation or two ago, moving south was a rite of passage, like going to college. But that no longer seems to be the case. In addition, if a parent is diagnosed with a serious or chronic illness, they often want to move somewhere that has urban doctors, Buysse stated. "We are at a low boil with these moves right now, but we will soon be at critical mass."

The fact that millennials are waiting later to have children (and provide their parents with grandchildren) means that many baby boomers are 70 to 75 by the time that they finally have grandchildren, she added, and they want to move back to get to know those little ones or they don't want to leave at all - for the same reason.

"Children and grandchildren are literally 'emotional magnets' for baby boomers," Buysse said. "The reality is: older we get, the smaller our circle becomes and the larger role our family plays.

"Besides, as we have seen with this year's hurricanes, those warm climates have their own sets of issues and our Chicago winters haven't been that bad lately," she added.

Senior Move Managers in Buysse's association also help seniors who choose to downsize within a given geographic area, moving from the big house to a condo or townhouse.

"There are so many ways to age and we are all free to do it our own way," she said.

"Our members even help people plan for the future when the McMansion no longer suits them."

In the past, family members were expected to help their parents clean out the family home and devote many days to the task. But today's adult children consider their time very precious and don't really want to spend it helping to clean out their childhood home's basement, so senior move experts are stepping in to take up the slack.

"And the service they provide can be very affordable," Buysse said. "They will come in and tell the senior and their family what needs to be done and give a price for carefully sorting through a lifetime of memories. But most are very willing to negotiate if the family is willing to take on certain tasks - like cleaning out the garage - themselves."

Senior Move Managers are also willing and able to clean out homes left behind when someone passes away. Estate managers, funeral home directors and attorneys often offer referrals.

Margit Novack, president of Moving Solutions which does business in New Jersey, Delaware and southeastern Pennsylvania, was the founding president of the National Association of Senior Move Managers.

"Twenty-two years ago when I started working with seniors who were moving, less than 5 percent were moving to get closer to their children. But today that number has jumped to between 10 and 15 percent. Most seniors, however, still move and stay within their same community," Novack stated.

"Years ago, people would retire to the South and then come back to their traditional home when they were quite old and frail and their kids had to be very involved in that move," she continued. "Today's retirees between 75 and 85 tend to move proactively to be closer to their children and grandchildren - before they absolutely need to do so.

"I move a lot of reverse snow birds, as I call them, relocating them from Florida or Arizona, but I also move people from Oregon to suburban Philadelphia or from Connecticut to New Jersey or from Michigan or St. Louis to the East Coast because they want to be closer to their children," Novack added. "The South is not as big an attraction as their children and grandchildren."

Those who are avoiding the detour to warm climates, she said, are saving themselves an extra move and, in most cases, are fostering closer relationships with their families.

"When my own mother moved close to me, I got a blessing, but so did she," Novack stated. "It was much less stressful to have her close by and we were able spend a lot of fun time together."

Through the national association she helped to found, Novack routinely works with other Senior Move Managers across the country to accomplish thousands of moves each year. The managers from each end of the move work hand-in-hand to plan the move, pack, unpack and arrange furniture to make it as easy as possible for the senior.

They even arrange to ship cars, as needed, and encourage the relocating seniors to rest and to pace themselves.

"If you are the kind of person who - when surrounded by moving boxes - will work until 10 p.m. every night to get it done, you definitely need assistance.

"A senior move manager will do the physical work for you and also support you emotionally. You simply can't work until you drop. Instead, we encourage our seniors to eat good meals, take frequent breaks and even let someone show you around the community to get a sense of it," she added.

If you need to find a Senior Move Manager for yourself, a parent or another relative, visit www.nasmm.org and click on "Find a Senior Move Manager."