Senior Moving Checklist for Caregivers and Family

Ask anyone who has recently moved – the stress can be overwhelming. Making the move as painless as possible is vital for the well-being of your senior loved one. By planning things in advance with this senior moving checklist and getting organized, you can break the move into bite-sized pieces with which they can cope. It may even help them look forward to getting a fresh start in a new space.

Here are some tips on how to make a move that involves a senior easier:

Start researching early

One of the most important items on any senior moving checklist – give yourself plenty of time for research to help your senior loved one choose the place that best suits their needs. Make them feel directly involved in the process as much as possible. This can help ease any nerves about moving to a new space.

• Ask for references and check with local senior organizations or the Better Business Bureau for information about the reputation of prospective new residences.
• If you can, take Mom or Dad on a tour of their potential new community so they can see firsthand what amenities and features are offered. An in-person visit can also help them see for themselves what is possible and help eliminate the anxiety of uncertainty. If that’s not practical, conduct a virtual visit and be sure to check out the community’s website and speak with their Sales Counselor.

Map things out

When your Mom or Dad decide where they want to go, take a tape measure to plot out the space where they’ll live, mapping it out on a sheet of paper. This will help you get a good idea of how things will fit when moving day arrives. You don’t want to find out when you have a truck waiting to be unloaded that there isn’t room for your loved one’s most important possessions.

Take lots of pictures

Your Mom or Dad spent a lot of years making their home just as they like it, from the placement of the chairs to the way photos are arranged on the walls. If you can, try to document those things to replicate their preferred layout as much as possible, something especially important for those experiencing dementia. Taking pictures also helps to inventory all your senior loved one’s belongings so you don’t forget about anything in the process of relocating.

Sort it out

The best way to get organized is to start by dividing things into three categories: 1) What’s going to the new place, 2) what’s going into storage, and 3) what’s going to be given to charity or discarded.

Once you get things sorted, you may want to consider:

• Ordering a dumpster or bulky item pickup if there are a lot of things to be thrown away.
• Finding a storage space if needed.
• Planning a yard sale.

Box it up

Now that it’s been decided what’s going to the new place, you can determine:

• how many boxes you should order (don’t forget to buy packing tape, bubble wrap, and other necessary moving supplies.)
• if you’ll need to hire a moving company, rent a truck or if you’ll be able to manage the move on your own.
• where to borrow or rent a dolly from to help you move heavy boxes.

Do the paperwork

There are always forms to fill out and papers to sign when you’re on the move. Have you:

• Filled out a change of address card with the U.S. Postal Service?
• Checked to see if you need to sign your senior loved one up for cable television service or the internet?
• Changed their insurance policy to reflect their new accommodations?
• Notified their doctors and pharmacy about their new address?
• Made arrangements to make sure their bills, including the rent, are paid every month?

While you can’t eliminate all the work, following this senior moving checklist can make moving your senior loved one a lot easier. Seniors are often resistant to change, because it feels like they’re losing things that are important to them. But they often find once they’ve settled in, that living in a senior community is more comfortable than they could have imagined. They’ll find plenty of people with common interests to keep them company, social activities to keep them active and the security of having someone around 24 hours a day to ensure their needs are met. Relieving the burden of relocation is the best way to get them off to a great start in their new home.

We’re here to answer your questions about senior living — contact Bethesda for more information.