The New Old Age New York
Times Blog
Caring and Coping
December 30, 2010, 10:00 am
When Moving Seems Impossible
By PATRICK EGAN
Patricia Wendler had been trying to sell her Southport, N.C.,
home for four years. Just before Thanksgiving, she finally got
an offer, with one major contingency: Mrs. Wendler, 80, had less
than three weeks to move, or no deal.
She and her husband, who died in 2008, had retired to Southport
16 years ago from New Hartford, N.Y. In that time, the Wendlers
had accumulated furniture that wouldn’t fit in her new
apartment, tools she wouldn’t need and years upon years
of paperwork. “I kind of stored everything,” she said.
Her daughter-in-law, June Wendler, described the task of relocation
as a “tornado.” She called Jane Roberts, a senior
move manager in Wilmington, N.C., for help.
Initially, Patricia Wendler was not thrilled.
“I was a little resentful,” she said. “Why would
I need someone like that? I’m not used to having people
do things for me.”
The Wendlers are among more than 50,000 families to hire a
certified senior move manager this year, up from 30,000 just
two years ago, according to the National Association of Senior
Move Managers. These services don’t come cheap: Most move
managers charge $25 to $60 per hour. A top-to-bottom move can
require several days of planning, packing and unpacking, running
$1,500 to $4,000 or more — not including the cost of the
actual movers.
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