When my aunt realized that she did perhaps need to move to an assisted living facility, she was overwhelmed just thinking about the task of disbanding her current living situation and re-establishing it in a studio apartment across the Bay Area. Fortunately I had a friend who’d been through this process, and she recommended the staff at Senior Settlers in glowing terms. It was this reference and the fact that they are a local organization and woman-owned that made me feel confident they were the right team for the job. They did not disappoint! Over a series of visits, they began the process of helping my aunt make loads of decisions about what she would take with her, what she’d like to donate, what could be discarded, and what given to specific others. They were very patient, and they really listened to her. In fact, they told me that they enjoyed talking to her, and she says she enjoyed talking with them, so the interaction wasn’t just about logistics.  After the decisions were made, they took responsibility for making things go where they were supposed to—relieving my aunt of that worry which she had been so dreading. By the end of moving day, she was ready to “take possession” of her new space—it was ready for her, all but having cable TV set up, and Senior Settlers had even taken care of arranging that.

What I haven’t said much about was how the primary helper for this job, Tammy Key, got along with us, Jean’s family.  She was a delight to work with, managing to be cordial and friendly while moving efficiently through the many tasks involved in getting the move accomplished.  She established an immediate rapport with the movers as well.  In fact, although we were all pretty exhausted by day’s end, I look back wonderingly at how smoothly everything went, in large part because of Tammy and Senior Settler’s excellent help. I wholeheartedly recommend them for getting your senior loved one re-settled.