DELMAR — The task of packing up and moving out of a home is daunting at any age; but consider one that helped raise a family — that has compiled as much junk as it has cherished memories — and it will seem impossible.
Michelle Kavanaugh-Anastasi knows. She said moving can be one of the most stressful events we experience. Memories etched on door jams are hard to leave, as are the tangible items on to which we hold. The franchise owner of Organize Senior Moves has more than 15 years of experience with helping seniors and their families in particular with doing the impossible.
“Without any question,” she said, “until you get the ball rolling. You won’t get that sense of relief until you call us.”
Kelly Cerza, officer manager for Organize Senior Moves, said it’s in that first call when future clients express feeling alone, being overwhelmed, and not knowing where to begin.
“Everyone’s needs are different,” said Cerza. “I tell them they have an ‘ala carte’ service [from which to choose].”
Senior adults have more in common than they think when it comes to feeling alone. According to a recent Pew Research Center study, 27 percent of U.S. adults aged 60 and older live alone — more than all of the 130 countries factored into the study. As seniors grow older, and the need to move into a home with more comfortable surroundings, Cerza said the first question is often the same.
“We help them focus on what they are bringing with them.”
Organize Senior Moves offers a complimentary one-hour consultation. Kavanaugh and her staff walk in and gingerly approach the next step by walking clients through an assessment of those items. The process involves doing as much — or as little — as a client needs.
Organize Senior Moves helps clients develop a floor plan for their new home, downsize house items, pack up belongings and set up their new home. The details in between, such as organizing estate sales, donating items to causes, staging the home for sale and landing the right moving company, are all included with their services.
“Being here, working with senior citizens, it’s a great thing to do,” said Elsie Pastor, franchise manager. “Moving one place to another, and them seeing their house all set up — they don’t need to do anything — they are grateful for the job we do for them.”
Kavanaugh-Anastasi said some clients compared the experience to being on an HGTV television show.
“The smiles on their faces when they walk in is why we do what we do,” she said. “It’s the best part of our job.”
Kavanaugh-Anastasi’s tried and true formula for customer service has led her to host online presentations, helping business through the logistics of organizing moves.
For more information on Organize Senior Moves, call 518-621-6568, or visit organizeseniormoves.com.
