A Tale of Three “Lucy”s – Lucy Two
You have probably heard from several sources to plan ahead
when moving. It’s never too early to
start thinking about what to pack and how it will get to the new facility. This past November, I was faced with three
moves at the same time. I will call my clients
Lucy 1, Lucy 2 and Lucy 3.
Lucy 1 lived in an apartment on the 15th
floor. The view was wonderful, the space
was large. But there was this pesky
little issue of persistent leaks that the property manager shrugged off as a
small problem. But mold growing under
the carpet for years, and several trips to the hospital were hardly small
issues for my client, retired from her teaching position. It was time for a move.
Lucy 2 lived in a maintenance-free townhouse. At 89 years old, her memory was failing and
she had caregivers coming every day to help her dress and eat. As her disease progressed, it became clear to
the daughter that her mother needed someone watching her 24 hours/day.
Lucy 3 lived in development specifically for residents over
55 years of age. The homes were single
family, but maintenance-free. A widow,
she lived there alone, but had children and grandchildren in the area to help. She was able to drive, but when her multiple
sclerosis and the weather got worse, she was unable to go outside. She had to rely more and more on others, and
began falling more frequently. When she
fell, she couldn’t get up on her own. She
decided to move to assisted living.
Over the next few posts, I will tell the stories of each of
my clients and the unique challenges each faced.
Here is the story of Lucy 2:
Lucy Two lived in a maintenance-free townhouse. Her daughter had recently taken her car keys
away from her because her memory was failing and it wasn’t safe to have her on
the roads. She was 88 years old when I
started visiting her a few times a week to take her to the grocery store, to
get her hair done, etc. All those things
she couldn’t do herself because she wasn’t driving any more.
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| Dining Room Before Staging |
Over the next few months, her health remained stable, but her
memory was fading fast. She would forget
to eat. She didn’t know night from
day. She thought her bedroom was her
house, and the rest of her house was the office where she worked. She soon needed assistance 7 days/week, and
someone to visit her every night to make dinner.
This went on with a bevy of caretakers over several
months. Lucy began getting more
confused. She didn’t understand why
people were coming over when she was perfectly capable of taking care of
herself. She thought we were only visiting,
and became belligerent when we tried to help.
After some serious episodes, her daughter, Lynn (the only child living
in the area), decided to put her into Memory Care.
That decision was difficult enough for Lynn. But then came the task of selling the townhouse. It was full to the brim with family memories
and loving knick-knacks – most of which Lucy couldn’t even remember how
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| Parlor Before Staging |
she’d acquired. The day of the move, November 1, Lynn and I took Lucy to her new rooms, stayed for lunch with her, then went home to pack up some belongings while Lucy attended mass at the facility. We packed enough clothes for the winter months, and some personal effects, like photographs of the great-granddaughters she loved so much.
The next step was to allow the family to claim what they wanted
from the house. Children came from out
of state to pack up/claim what they wanted.
Then, with the help of the real estate agent, we selected those items
that would stay in the house for staging.
I marked those items with painter’s tape.
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| Dining Room After Staging |
A junk removal company, Ease Services, came to pick up the
furniture we didn’t need for staging.
They took items in good condition to a charity. Once the belongings were pared down, the
entire house was painted and new carpet was installed. Lynn had a handyman come and do some small
cosmetic repairs.
I packed up the small items that we didn’t need for the
showing, and with the help of Lucy’s daughter and grandson, the boxes got
loaded and dropped off at a local donation center. I used what was left to stage the house. I brought in some accent pieces and colorful
towels, and set the dining room table. It looked like a warm, loving home.
The house was listed on a Thursday. By Saturday, it sold! Yes, that quickly! What did that mean? The rest of the cabinets had to be emptied,
and the furniture removed. No rest
here! So the phone calls started
again.
Lynn had friends/family come in to take what they
wanted/needed for themselves or children who were moving into their own
apartments. Lynn got estimates from
moving companies for shipping her sibling’s items to her in Idaho. Their brother drove up from Florida with a
van to get his things. Once we knew what
was unclaimed, I finished emptying all the cabinets, garage, laundry room,
etc., and boxed everything up for
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| Parlor After Staging |
Ease Services came for a second load, taking the items we
knew wouldn’t sell. Then I called an
auction house, who loaded up their truck the same day as Lucy Three's load, and paid Lucy Two for what they took
away. I finished cleaning out the garage, taking the garbage to the dumpster, and the last of the donations to Goodwill.
The house was empty!!
The closing took place on March 28.
It was a real whirlwind of activity.
Thank goodness Lynn worked close to her mom’s house, so between the two
of us, we were able to meet with drivers, repairmen, etc.. And although there were a few glitches, it
all worked out in the end. My final task
was to mail some mementos we found in Lucy’s drawers to her daughter in
Idaho and her grandson in Oregon.
Lynn and I are going to dinner to celebrate!
Click here to see Lucy Three's Story
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