When the decision is made to make a move, usually what may be thought as of a last move, downsizing a home and moving to an independent or assisted living community, it can be overwhelming to put one’s mind to the task. Where to begin is certainly one of the challenges. In addition to that, how to separate from long term possessions which may have memories and meaning that seem impossible to part with, can create great disappointment if hard decisions are not made prior to a move to a smaller setting. Often that setting is not only smaller, but much smaller than one thinks before they move in.
There are many phases to this type of transitional move which will not be like any previous relocation. One of the reasons for this uniqueness of relocation to a supported living environment is because the person moving is older and may have health or physical challenges that they previously did not face when packing up a family home to start a new life phase in their retirement home.
Meet Joanna Spornhauer, co-owner of Transitional Care Movers. Joanna has the passion and commitment to supporting seniors through every phase of their move, with options to handle the full move or any aspect of it that the customer may require. With values emulating those of The Villages-excellent customer service-Joanna and her team take the worry away from the person moving and work with them to sort, make decisions, and set up the new apartment with just the right amount of belongings to make it comfortable and homey.
Joanna meets with her clients to find out where they are moving to and to hear what it is they would like to take with them. She will go to the community they have chosen and get a copy of the floor plan to assist in mapping out where the furniture can go. Often Joanna will encourage re-decorating with new and fresh surroundings instead of hanging on to that which may be hard to let go of. Her team will help sort through the possessions, measure the furniture, do the packing, loading, moving, unpacking and set up of the new place. In a day, the move can be completed with the toothbrush in its holder and the coffee pot ready to brew, beds made and recliner ready for the customer to just sit back and enjoy their new surroundings.
Joanna is a Certified Senior Move Manager and belongs to the National Association of Senior Move Managers. That means if she is helping you pack up in The Villages, and you are moving elsewhere, she has the contacts to find someone with her same qualifications to help you on the other end, just like she would have done here in The Villages. She is also gaining her certification as a Professional Organizer. She shared that since delving into becoming a Personal Organizer, it has affected even the way she simplifies her own life and that of her children. There is more focus on having less and enjoying it more.
Joanna has also given of her time during special requests of clients, such as when she was asked to take someone’s car for a car wash and gas! If she does not have the time to do that, she will ask one of the 6-7 team members who assist on every move to find time to fulfill the task.
Transitional Care Movers has three packages to choose from, from the Care Free Move Package which will look after every detail from sorting for the move to set up of the new place; to looking after disposing of items that need to go to charity or sale and helping map out where the furniture can be placed; to loading up what has been packed and organizing the furniture on the other end. They can assist in making the transition totally stress less while you can focus on what is new and exciting at your new community.
A new service also being offered through this company is remodeling a home to customize it exactly as the senior would like it to be. Rather than shopping for that special piece of furniture or adjusting something to meet a special need, Joanna’s husband Samuel, a general contractor and highly skilled craftsperson, will design what is needed to make the new home work comfortably.
Once the decision has been made to find that right independent or supported living environment, Transitional Care Movers can make your move seamless and give you peace of mind as you look forward to your first night at your new place, set up and ready to enjoy. Call Joanna at (352) 561-3330 to see how she can assist you in having great memories of a wonderful move.
For questions or comments, contact Jane Bloom, The Other Daughter, at (352) 391-0899 or email [email protected]. www.theotherdaughter.org