On the Thursday morning before Thanksgiving, 87-year-old Brad Shaw relaxed in a brown suede easy chair as a quartet of movers carefully packed his belongings. A year and a half earlier, Shaw and his wife, Brenda, had moved to their daughter's lakeside home in North Hero so that she could care for them. Brenda died months later, and now Shaw was experiencing health problems of his own. Needing even more support, he was moving to the Residence at Quarry Hill, a senior living community in South Burlington. He'd enlisted the help of Second Act Senior Transition Services, a moving management company that provides assistance exclusively to older Vermonters. Second Act does more than pack and transport boxes. It offers a menu of services to help ensure a smooth moving day: The company helps clients donate or sell things they no longer need; mediates among family members; buys furniture for the new dwelling; and even hooks up televisions and hangs clothing. In Vermont's moving-company landscape, Second Act occupies a unique niche. Its founder, Donald Rathgeb Jr., takes pride in his personalized approach, meant to put seniors and their families at ease during what is often an emotionally fraught time. "We respect them and treat them with the compassion and dignity they deserve," Rathgeb said. Vermont is the third-oldest state in the country, behind only Maine and New Hampshire. As a result, businesses designed to cater specifically to seniors are in high demand, whether they provide housing, home care, medical supplies or moving services. Several Vermont moving companies focused on seniors have come and gone in the 10 years since Second Act launched, Rathgeb said. Currently, Second Act is the only one in the state that's a member of the National Association of Senior & Specialty Move Managers, an international trade organization. To join, movers must complete four online courses on subjects such as safety and contracts. They further have to carry general liability insurance and sign a code of ethics. "It is very complicated, daunting work," said the trade organization's co-executive director, Mary Kay Buysse. Move managers who work with seniors often encounter challenging situations, such as people experiencing dementia or family members with less-than-noble intentions. But it's also gratifying work, she said. Downsizing isn't always about loss — often, moving into senior housing expands people's lives and makes them feel less isolated. Rathgeb, a 60-year-old Burlington resident,…