Hanover
Upper Valley residents Mel Aaron and Liam McCarthy are hoping to help seniors and their families face those challenges with the launch of their Hanover-based business UV Senior Move Managers.
For many seniors, the decision to downsize is accompanied by a move to some for of senior housing.
“It’s almost like a moral obligation to care for your elders,” said Aaron, who began work in nursing home management after the nursing home scandals of the 1970s in New York City, in which senior living facility owners were charged with Medicaid fraud and abuse was found in some places. Those infamous events affected Aaron’s outlook.
“It was a big, big scandal and it really made an impact on me,” Aaron said.
“You judge a society on how your oldest and youngest are cared for,” added McCarthy, who is involved in real estate and has been active in the Hanover business scene. “I’ve always had an affinity for older people.”
The company, which was started late last year, is recognized by the National Association of Senior Move Managers, a national nonprofit organization with a mission to support senior citizens through the physical and emotional challenges of moving.
Aaron and McCarthy have participated in training programs, ethics courses and conferences through the organization; they’ve served about half a dozen clients so far.
“Moving sucks, moving’s a pain,” McCarthy said. “Then there’s the emotional attachment.”
Add in health challenges and having to decide what to do with belongings you’ve had for more than half a century, and moving becomes even more complicated.
“We’re both quite empathetic people,” McCarthy said. “I go into a house and think, ‘This could be my parents’ house.’ ”
That perspective is part of recognizing that moving is often a grieving process.
“It’s emotional for the family as well,” Aaron said.
There can be guilt about asking parents to move into an assisted living facility, or sadness over losing a childhood home.
Above all, the duo aim to “respect the needs” of the senior citizens involved, Aaron said. They help clients sort through objects, deciding what to bring with them to their new homes and how to dispose of what they won’t.
They coordinate donations to area nonprofit organizations or the sale of more valuable items, sometimes securing an appraiser.
Aaron said they counsel people to “keep the memories but not the stuff.” This could including photographing and putting together a scrapbook of a teacup collection.
They go at the pace of the senior client, Aaron said, which can take “a little bit of hand-holding, and patience is a lot of this as well.”
The process can take six to eight weeks, but that varies based on the scope of the project.
“It takes time to empty a house,” McCarthy said. “Every situation is different.”
As seniors go through objects, they might share stories associated with them and it can become overwhelming or emotional for them.
“Gently helping people move along a bit is part of it,” McCarthy said.
One piece of advice Aaron has for others is to start the downsizing process early, before it becomes imminent and necessary.
“My realization is that you can’t take everything with you,” Aaron said. “You really have to face the fact that you have to make some choices.”
Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.
