By: Cheryl Farkas
All aspects of taking care of a house can be overwhelming and become mentally exhausting, but many seniors, like Ann Trull, are reluctant to take the first step toward downsizing.
The questions become innumerable. Whom should I employ? Will they be fair? Who will mow the grass, trim the trees, rake the leaves, and shovel snow off the driveway?
“Also, the front steps need to be repaired and the hot water heater is leaking, damaging the floor, the sub-flooring and carpet. Then the tree fell in the front yard, it spared the house but that was the last straw!” Ann says, “I had been thinking about moving, but now I was ready to go condo-shopping.”
Ann didn’t know how all of this was going to come together, but her mind was made up. While condo shopping, she saw a truck with ‘Home to Home in Guilford; Serving Seniors in Transition.’ Ann explains in a soft steady voice. “All right, I did kind of chase it down a little to get the phone number off the side of the truck. Several days later my son-in-law returned from a real-estate networking meeting and handed me a business card. It had the same company name and telephone number. ‘This is the company you need to hire,’ he informed me.” Ann smiled. “I must say, I did enjoy telling him I already had that name and number.”
This wasn’t Ann’s first downsizing experience. Her first was in 1963 when she moved from a four-bedroom house to a three-bedroom split-level. Now she was going into a one level, no-steps condo with two-bedrooms. “This time, I knew I had to get rid of some stuff fast. I was stressing over it, but my family stepped in and really helped me.”
When the moving was over, Ann admitted, “It wasn’t worth the physical and emotional risks I was taking. I really wasn’t able to keep my house up as well. When you really are honest with yourself, the moment you realize you are overwhelmed, just go on and do it. Do it quickly so you don’t panic. Moving is difficult. Let people help.”
Ann has nothing but praise for Home To Home in Guilford and its service to seniors in transition. “They were so efficient, I was moved in within hours. It went so smoothly, I had no time to second-guess myself.”