Retired pastor helps seniors make transition to new life By J.A. Buchholz | Aug. 16, 2010 {1209} Many people dream of retiring in Florida, with its promise of sunny days spent at the beach and on the golf course. Some are seniors who want to be closer to adult children. Others have lived in the Sunshine State all their lives. For a large percentage, it’s a transition with unexpected obstacles. Downsizing living spaces and possessions — with all their associated memories — can be difficult and overwhelming. The Rev. Ann Hutchens unpacks a client’s belongings after a move. Photo courtesy of the Rev. Ann Hutchens. Photo #10-1529. Click on picture for larger photo or view in photo gallery with longer description. That’s where the Rev. Ann Hutchens steps in. She helps make the process of moving to a new home — in many cases to one less than half the size of the old one — a little easier. Hutchens, who has 42 years of ministerial experience as a pastor and chaplain, felt her calling was not complete when she retired in 2005 as an active clergy member of the Florida Conference, so she and a friend, a licensed clinical social worker, began a business as professional organizers. While searching for continuing education opportunities, the two became certified relocation and training specialists focusing on seniors. Having already experienced moving aging parents and working with people in transition, they knew this was an area that could be better served. Another partner was added to the team, a registered nurse who had worked with them at an inpatient center, and Creating Divine Order was born in late 2007. Their first move took place in 2008. Now, more than 60 moves later and with additional staff members who have related degrees and certifications in marketing, design, estate sales, redesign and professional organization, the business offers a host of services, including cleaning, personal shopping, redesign and staging. It’s HGTV’s “Design on a Dime” and The Learning Channel’s “Clean Sweep” home improvement programs rolled into one, but with emotional, and often pastoral, support at the core. “I am a calm presence,” Hutchens said. “I do active listening. Sometimes people just want to feel they are heard.” Hutchens says she always lets clients know she is a retired pastor so they know “I can be trusted.” “People have such horror stories about moving and movers,” she said. “I want them to know I will go about it in an ethical manner — that I have standards.” Roseann Traynor hired Hutchens and the team when her mother moved from an independent and assisted living facility in Central Florida’s Longwood area to another one across town in Apopka. Traynor, who lives in Bloomingdale, N.J., relied on the team to coordinate the move from an apartment with a living room, dining area, large bedroom, eat-in kitchen and den to a much smaller one with just 500 square feet of space. Downsizing was a big part of the job. In a manner of days, Traynor said, the move was complete. Staff members pack up a living room. Photo courtesy of the Rev. Ann Hutchens. Photo #10-1530. Click on picture for larger photo or view in photo gallery with longer description. “They had to pack up my mom’s things, move them and then make her new place look like a home,” Traynor said. “After all was done, they took the rest of the month to clean out what was left in my mom’s old apartment.” The team either sold the items Traynor’s mother no longer needed and sent her a check or donated them to charities, giving her a receipt for tax purposes, Traynor said. Some items had to be thrown away. “Her old apartment was left spotless, and she (Hutchens) even turned in the key for us,” Traynor said. The process begins with the team meeting the clients to get a sense of what is important to them and what they want their new home to be like. Then, staff members create a meticulous inventory, so detailed Hutchens says, that not one item has ever been lost, and pack up the home. The team helps clients decide what to keep, what to give to family members and how to get those items to them, what to sell, and what to donate to charity. The team then hires movers and takes care of any last-minute details. Once the move is complete, team members unpack boxes and stage the living space, placing furniture, lighting and decorative items they way they should be in every room. The team, Hutchens says, tries to handle every detail possible so the move is less traumatic. In two days, the business packs up a home, oversees the move-out and move-in, unpacks, and sets up a new home, going as far as hanging pictures on walls and placing dishes in cupboards. It’s not unusual for the staff to create a “memory preservation” scrapbook so clients can have reminders of their former life near them in their new one. It all goes beyond delivering unscratched furniture and a pretty living space. The team strives to offer a sense of peace about what has to take place. The goal, Hutchens says, is to make the transition less overwhelming for the entire family. “We try real hard to make new lives work,” she said. News media contact: Tita Parham, 800-282-8011, tparham@flumc.org, Orlando   *Parham is managing editor of e-Review Florida United Methodist News Service. **Buchholz is a freelance writer based in Seffner, Fla. Printer Friendly Version     Share