Presentation given at Argentum Senior Living Executive Conference in May 2018 by Chris Pienkowski of Moves for Seniors. Relocation Stress Syndrome is a clinical diagnosis affecting 60% of seniors. It manifests itself through a combination of medical and psychological reactions to a physical transfer. This presentation gives an overview of Relocation Stress Syndrome along with strategies to overcome these affects for prospective residents considering a move to a senior living community.

1. Helping Communities Fill Units
Overcoming Relocation Stress Syndrome
The Nationwide Leader in Senior Moving Services

2. A Resource for Community Sales Teams
• Major Life Transitions Require Broad Resources
• A comprehensive, single point of contact for all moving related services helps to ease the
stress of prospective residents and adult children / caregivers anywhere in the country.
• Third Highest Reason for Losing a Lease is Due to the Perceived Stress of
Moving
• The perception of packing up an entire house and having to decide what can fit into an
apartment in a senior living community along with what to do with items that cannot fit can be
so overwhelming, the prospective resident may choose to not move at all.
• 60% of Older Adults Suffer from Relocation Stress Syndrome
• The average prospective resident has lived in their current family home for more than 40
years. The thought alone of going through decades worth of belongings and memories can
cause tremendous amounts of stress and anxiety.

3. What is Relocation Stress Syndrome (RSS)?
• A Clinical Diagnosis Affecting 60% of Seniors
• A combination of medical and psychological reactions to a physical transfer.
• The Risk of RSS Increases if there is:
1. Little or no time to prepare for the move (Early preparation when possible is the best approach).
2. Lack of predictability about the new environment (Multiple visits and meeting current residents in the
community with shared interests helps to build familiarity).
3. Little or no time between notification of the move and the move itself (A life event like moving
should be discussed in advance amongst family members, when possible, to emphasize the positive
outcomes of relocating to a senior living community, giving the senior something to look forward to).
• The Greatest Incidences of RSS Occur Just Before the Move and During a Three-Month
Period After the Move
• This is a critical window of time that could negatively impact the signing of a lease and/or the longevity of
the resident’s occupancy.

4. Proactively Preventing RSS
• Plan with the Senior and their Family / Caregivers
• When possible, make sure that the senior is the central person making decisions with the
assistance and cooperation of their family and/or caregivers. Being involved helps the
senior to have a feeling of control during the moving process.
• Don’t Rush the Process
• While the speed of signing a lease is important, rushing a prospective resident to make a
decision could work against you and cause the symptoms of RSS to intensify.
• Have Easy-To-Use Resources at Your Fingertips
• The planning and decision making process to move into a senior living community has so
many variables, and once the decision has been made, you want the transition to be
simple and smooth by eliminating the number of additional services your new resident has
to deal with to move in and get settled.

5. Real Life Example – Barbara’s Cross-Country Move
• 92 year old Barbara, former Navy nurse living in WA chose an ILF in PA.
• Hired her own movers and fired them 5 days before the move, and was weeks behind in packing.
• Barbara showing signs of RSS, was now deeply anxious and possibly not moving at all.
• Community Sales Leader in PA called Moves for Seniors and got a Senior Move Specialist involved.
• Moves for Seniors dispatched our partners in WA to perform an on-site video estimate allowing us
to better connect with and console Barbara about how we would make her move simple, stress-
free, comforting and pleasant.
• Moves for Seniors crew finished packing and loading the truck in 2 days, drove Barbara to airport
and transported her belongings and vehicle to PA.
• Moved all items into Barbara’s new apartment at the community and arranged for off-site storage of
her remaining items that would not fit.
• Today, Barbara has settled into community life. She’s made many new friends, and enjoys going
out with them to dinner or to the movies. Her strength is back, and her social calendar is full.

6. Real Life Example – Barbara’s Cross-Country Move
“I don’t know how they did it. They kept me in the loop on their progress
the entire time. They took the time to answer all her questions. Moves
for Seniors is amazing. So compassionate. So caring. They really do
gear themselves toward the senior.”
- Adele Smith
Sales Leader
Whispering Oaks
What did the Sales Leader at Barbara’s new community
in PA have to say:

7. How Is A Moving Company a Resource?
• Serving Seniors is What We Do
• Simple
• Stress-Free
• Comforting
• Pleasant
• Comprehensive One Stop Shop
• Local
• Long Distance
• Downsize Coordination
• Discard and Donate
WE ARE
MORE
THAN A
MOVING
COMPAN
Y

8. Compassion + Service = Results
Moving and Shipping Industry Average NPS = 39
NPS = 73
NPS = 62
NPS = 60
NPS = 55
NPS = 33
Net Promoter Score
Comparisons
NPS = 62

9. How Does Moves for Seniors Work with Communities
• We are YOUR TRUSTED PARTNER to help ease the stress for residents moving
into your community.
• Being able to recommend Moves for Seniors proactively allows you to get ahead of
potential road blocks to keep lease signing and move-in on track.
• Through one point of contact, you have fast and easy access to a nationwide
network of vetted service providers to help your residents anywhere in the country.
• Consistency and reliability ensures that residents and employees have the same
experience at every community within your portfolio.

10. The Nationwide Leader in Senior Moving Services
• Coverage in 49 States.
• Services for Residents, Community Sales & Operations Teams and
Portfolios of Communities.
• Incentives and Special Programs for Partner Communities.
• Other Partnership Benefits.

11. As an industry leader in senior moving services, we bring more than muscle
to our partnerships. In the fall of 2017, we released our first research paper
on Relocation Stress Syndrome.
DOWNLOAD A COPY OF OUR RESEARCH PAPER HERE
Relocation Stress Syndrome Research

12. Let’s Talk
www.movesforseniors.com
800-227-0515
info@movesforseniors.com
THANK YOU