How One Senior Care Community Minimizes Move-In Challenges for New Residents

Moving into a senior care community is a deeply emotional experience. Navigating the challenges of downsizing and coordinating the logistics of the move can add additional stress during an already delicate transition.

That’s why King-Bruwaert House, an Illinois community offering independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing, and memory care, has created a unique solution to support new residents throughout the move-in process.

How King-Bruwaert House Addresses the Move-In Process

Mark Zullo, senior director of sales and marketing at King-Bruwaert House

Mark Zullo, senior director of sales and marketing at King-Bruwaert House, says the process of moving can be one of the most stressful events in people’s lives. “This is especially true if the people planning to move have been living in their homes for years,” he explains. “It’s daunting. In fact, many people put off moving because of that.”

For years, King-Bruwaert House has supported new residents by providing recommendations and referrals for professionals who can help with the transition. But the community wanted to do more. “We want to make the process easier so seniors can ‘move ahead,’ so to speak,” says Zullo. He notes that nearly all residents who move to the community wish they’d done it sooner.

To support residents, King-Bruwaert House partnered with Honoring Aging in a collaboration named K-B Moving Solutions. “Honoring Aging is well-known and highly respected in the area for helping seniors with every step of the moving process,” Zullo explains. “When we decided to partner with them, it was because we wanted to be certain that we provided our residents with the best assistance available.”

Supports Provided by KB Moving Solutions

The K-B Moving Solutions collaboration provides new residents with comprehensive support throughout the moving process. Honoring Aging can begin the process by visiting the client’s home to identify their needs and develop a personalized transition plan. That plan details everything that needs to be done, as well as a timeline for each task.

Honoring Aging also creates a customized computer floor plan of a resident’s new home. The team visits the new space and takes measurements of the floorplan. “They can then show the client how and where their existing furniture will fit into the new space,” says Zullo. “It’s extremely reassuring to the residents. They can more confidently visualize what their new home is going to look like. “

Downsizing a home before moving to a senior living community can be an overwhelming undertaking, and Honoring Aging provides assistance with that process, too. The downsizing process often happens before the resident puts their house on the market. Honoring Aging is available to help the resident as much as they would like, including helping them decide what to keep, throw away, and donate. “They’ll also assist in making all of those options happen,” Zullo says.

When it comes to the actual move, Honoring Aging can wrap and pack all of the resident’s items in preparation for the moving company. They clearly mark the boxes so they can be delivered and positioned according to the floor plan. Then, Honoring Aging can meet the movers at King-Bruwaert House to unpack the items. “They can make the beds, hang the towels, plug in electronics, and make everything look like home,” says Zullo.

The Value of Supporting Residents Through Transition

When prospective residents consider moving to King-Bruwaert House, staff members introduce them to the services offered by K-B Moving Solutions. This extra support provided to residents can help reduce the stress of the process. “K-B Moving Solutions absolutely takes the edge off of the move,” explains Zullo. “It’s still a challenging process, but we work to emphasize how exciting and carefree the move will be.”

Upon arrival, new residents are greeted with warmth and friendliness by both current residents and staff at King-Bruwaert House. They meet the new residents, show them around the community, dine with them, and introduce them to programs and activities, helping to ease the transition and make new residents feel welcomed.

Zullo notes that developing a program like K-B Moving Solutions is an excellent way that senior care communities can demonstrate their commitment to helping take the stress out of the move. Because the moving process is often a major hurdle that causes potential residents to delay transitioning into senior care, it’s important to recognize these challenges early. Helping prospective residents overcome them not only eases the transition but also begins building a relationship before they even arrive at the community.

Paige Cerulli

Paige Cerulli is a contributing writer to i Advance Senior Care.