Easing the stress of downsizing––Smooth Transitions of the Valley
“Home is where the heart is.” How many times have you heard that phrase in your lifetime?
Scottsdale LIVING WELL Magazine
It could be the house where generations of your family have lived through the decades, or the address at which you’re currently residing after countless transfers around the country or world. You have a lifetime of memories collected that are in various forms, shapes, sizes, and value––monetarily as well as emotional.
Framed family photographs. Boxes of treasured mementos. Kids’ baby clothes, circa 1970-80…maybe even your own from decades before. Grandmothers’ treasured china dishes. Antique furniture handcrafted at the turn of the century––the 20th Century. A beloved recliner, whose occupant never misses a Sunday afternoon football game.
Home brings us comfort, love and security. The very thought of downsizing or breaking up a home for a move can be extremely mind-boggling, frustrating, or even downright frightening for many folks, especially if there are physical or age challenges involved.
But hang on! There is an industry of professionals created by the boomer generation for themselves and their family members in this time-crunched world where we have collected too much “stuff!”
“Sorting through every item, identifying what stays and what goes, dividing possessions fairly, and determining those that are of a monetary value, can be an immense undertaking,” explains Robin Adrihan of Smooth Transitions of the Valley. “This can also be compounded if done under duress, illness, or time of grief.”
“This is why the senior move manager concept developed and has grown across the country. Our primary focus is to provide the specialized emotional skills and physical assistance that will give people the peace of mind that their home is respected and their possessions are safe.”
Senior move managers like Adrihan of Smooth Transitions of the Valley, are dedicated to the cause: move their clients expertly, efficiently, cost-effectively, and compassionately. There is even a national trade association where you can find member companies throughout the United States.
Valley resident Helen McNutt is a self-proclaimed “hoarder,” especially of papers. A retired nurse who served numerous overseas assignments while on active military duty, she had her home filled with treasures from faraway lands, boxes of needlework, and boxes stuffed with letters, old bank books, and even memorabilia from her mother’s childhood.”
“When I knew I needed to downsize from my house to an apartment, I didn’t know how I was going to do it,” recalled McNutt. “Robin’s helped me to make the decision to let go of so much of the stuff… that I didn’t need it to be safe and secure, if I didn’t need it to do something with…and she’s very empathetic.”
Project manager Mimi Filizetti of Rosedale, California, is using Robin for the third time in less than a year due to ongoing elder care needs transitioning within her own family who live here in the Valley.
“We couldn’t have survived without Robin and her team who handled everything with such detail and care,” explained Filizetti. “We were able to have dad and his wife moved out of the house they had lived in for 30 years and into their new senior-care apartment easily and quickly. Since we are all still working, it was great that we didn’t have to deal with anything left behind as she has the ability and know-how to take care what is left in the house. She has my total confidence.”
Former Valley resident Carol Lowe echoes the confidence factor as her biggest concern in her cross-country move to Sarasota, Florida, recently was her collection of china and crystal. “I didn’t want just anyone coming in to pack and sling my precious things around,” says Carol, a retired secretary for the U.S. Foreign Service who worked for five years in Saigon during the Vietnamese War.
“Robin is a terrific person, I only had to deal with her for every detail of my move, and the team took great care packing my personal things. She put me in touch with a similar service here to help with the unpacking and settling into my new home. Everything survived! But I couldn’t have done it without her!”
