Expert Column
Margit Novack 
Senior Moving Specialist
Margit Novack is a pioneer in the rapidly expanding industry of Senior Move Management...read more
Articles In This Column
- Geriatric Fiblets: The Ethics of White Lies
- A Tale of Hoarding: Honor Thy Father & Mother
- When Things Can't be Mended
- A Life that Matters
- Helping Parents Move Upwind
- Reunions, Reminiscence & Reflection: Stories to Tell
- Hoarding Solutions
- Home Buyers Beware: A Cautionary Tale
- Moving Made Easy: How to Create a Stress-Free Move Day
- RIGHTsizing Your Life
- The Downsizing Cover-up
- Book Review: Moving a Relative with Memory Loss
- Helping Mom and Dad Move: Practical Advice for Adult Children
- Downsizing: 6 Months & Counting
Senior Moving Solutions
Geriatric Fiblets: The Ethics of White Lies
The term “geriatric fiblet” was coined at the 2000 World Alzheimer’s Congress as “necessary white lies to redirect loved ones or discourage them from detrimental behavior.” I have found the concept useful in analyzing my own actions as a professional senior move manager working with older adults. The senior move management industry is guided by a code of ethics that defines the values and principles of behavior for the profession. Developed in 2002 by the National Association of Senior...Read entire article » Related Articles
A Tale of Hoarding: Honor Thy Father & Mother
Several months ago, I met with a hoarder; I’ll call him Dr. F. An eighty-nine-year-old retired physician, he lives alone in a five-bedroom house, in which every room is literally filled with “stuff.” His kitchen has an eighteen-inch aisle to walk through; all other space is covered in piles that stand six feet high. He has no access to his sink or stove and receives home-delivered meals. None of the bedrooms in the house can be walked into, because...Read entire article » Related Articles
When Things Can't be Mended
One of the most difficult aspects of packing is handling items that are fragile and have been previously repaired. These items are especially vulnerable to repeat damage, either at the point of prior repair or at another section. Sometimes, no matter how careful you are, these items break. I’ve thought about this issue recently: how some clients are especially fragile, like items that have been previously repaired, and sometimes the stress of moving pushes them to the breaking point....Read entire article » Related Articles
A Life that Matters
I have decided to make a former client my role model. I met him half a dozen years ago, when he was in his early eighties and moving to a retirement community. As we began planning his move, he said, “I lost my wife three years ago. Sorting through our belongings makes me feel like I am losing her all over again…I wish I could go away and come back after the move.” And so he became our first...Read entire article » Related Articles
Helping Parents Move Upwind
In sailing, the technique used to move upwind (or against the wind) is called “tacking.” Although tacking is actually a combination of vector mathematics and boat design, to most of us, it refers to the concept of making forward progress by zigzagging rather than moving forward directly. For adult children helping their parents transition from one home to another, tacking can be a very useful technique. I met recently with a woman in her early eighties. She suffered a...Read entire article » 
