Articles & Papers
Reducing Relocation Stress Syndrome for Seniors
At any age and under the best of circumstances, moving is stressful. Dealing with the planning, packing, and paying for the move is one thing, but the emotional cost of relocation can be fairly traumatic. So much so that relocation can cause a condition known as Relocation Stress Syndrome.
RSS, also known as transfer trauma, is the condition of "physiological and/or psychological disturbances that can result from transferring from one environment to another". Whether someone has chosen to move, been moved involuntarily, or placed into a care facility for medical or mental needs doesn't matter. The age of the individual also makes no difference and the symptoms are the same for anyone. Symptoms can include exhaustion, sleep disturbances, grief and a feeling of loss, depression, and disorientation. Having moved and downsized recently I can directly relate to some of those symptoms.
In the elderly these symptoms can quickly become exacerbated by dementia, mild cognitive impairment, poor physical health, frailty, lack of a support system and sensory impairment. There are questions that need to be asked prior to a senior relocation:
- Does the senior understand why they are being relocated?
- Did he/she participate in the decision making?
- Can he/she see and hear well enough in their new environment to learn their way around a new building or neighbourhood?
- Does he/she have anyone to help them pack or move?
- Will he/she remember that their current location will no longer be their home?
- Can he/she keep his/her doctor, friends, plants, or pets?
We can mitigate Relocation Stress Syndrome by respecting the individual and telling them that it is an adjustment and let them know that it will take time. Each individual is unique and will make adjustments at his or her own pace. Allowing as much time before the move will help prepare them. Control over the process and making decisions, along with a clearly defined timetable of events will help the senior through the change.
One of the more difficult issues is when the senior is moving from a 2-3 bedroom home, where he/she have lived for perhaps many decades, into a greatly reduced space in a senior residence. What do they do with all their possessions? What can they take with them? What do they give to family, donate to charity, store, or throw away? These decisions can be overwhelming. How do you sort through a lifetime of possessions and choose what is most important? This is a time consuming process, so as much time as possible must be allowed for it to take place.
Once the senior has made the decisions and finally the move, there are some simple things that can be done to help alleviate RSS. Setting up of possessions in the new environment as closely as possible to the past home. Things such as making sure the dresser top is laid out the same as it was in the home. Set the bathroom items in a similar if not the same lay out as before. Place the clothing in the closet in the same order as it was at home. This will help to reduce confusion and make the new home, albeit not the same, visually familiar.
In an age of hectic schedules families also feel the strain of moving the loved one. Many families no longer live close at hand and the sandwich generation is being pulled in multiple directions on any given day. There are professionals who specialize in relocating seniors. This is a new and growing industry.
Certified Relocation and Transition Specialists (CRTS) are accredited professionals that provide a complete spectrum of services. Not just moving, just selling, or just liquidating. A CRTS number one responsibility is to reduce relocation stress and provide a sense of control to the senior. A CRTS works with vetted, qualified professionals for all third party transactions and supports full disclosure practices. They are usually the first point of contact for seniors and a Certified Relocation and Transition Specialist creates individual client relocation plans. By doing this the client makes decisions that work for them and ultimately they maintain control. Regardless of whom is signing the cheque for services rendered, unless there is a trusteeship in place, the property still belongs to the elder and they make the decisions.
In an era of growth in the senior population, dignity and respect are at minimum what our senior community deserves. Services, information, and support all work to ensure that seniors have the smoothest possible transition into their new phase of life.
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