Our moving journey with pat

Our moving journey with Pat & Stan (not their real names) began a few months before moving day. Click here to read the beginning of the story.

Because Stan is physically and mentally unwell Pat had to decide, plan and organize her move on her own.

When we first met Pat, we chatted about the various aspects of her move and how we could assist.

First things first

One of the first things we saw that Pat was struggling with was visualising what items of furniture were going to fit into her new home.  Pat felt emotionally connected to many pieces. They had been purchased over the years by herself and Stan and represented their home and life together.  She did not want to let anything go if there was any chance of keeping it.

To start with we drew up a floor plan for Pat.  We measured every piece of furniture that she wanted to take with her and then worked on placing them onto a floor plan.

This gave Pat a clear idea of what would fit and what she needed to let go of.  The good news for Pat is that her daughter was happy to take most of the pieces that could not fit. Once Pat had agreed, we arranged for these to be transported to her daughter’s home.  This made it easier for Pat knowing that they were still in the family.

On the day

The moving day began with a shower of rain and we prepared by having the garage empty.  This allowed the team to load furniture from the garage and avoid having any pieces sitting in the rain.  Our team inside busied themselves boxing up all items from the kitchen, bedrooms, and the rest of the home.

Pat chose to not be present at all for moving day.  She drove out of the driveway as soon as arrived, not even waiting to see the truck arrive.  She played bridge that afternoon and arrived at her new home late that afternoon along with two old friends with dinner in hand.  They were able to sit on Pat’s new patio and pour a drink from the drinks cabinet while we finished up the finishing touches.  They were able to enjoy dinner at the dining room table that evening which we had set for three in preparation for their meal.

Pat pops up every morning to visit Stan in the frail care and is enjoying meeting new friends within the friendly community she now calls home.