The decision has been made to move to senior living, so the next step is preparing for the actual move. While it may seem like a daunting task, just a little planning can make it relatively smooth and painless. Here are several helpful tips from experts for planning a successful move to senior living.
Tip #1 – Create a timeline
To gain perspective about a move to senior living, take a few minutes to create a timeline or calendar outlining important activities like choosing what stays with you and what goes to family, friends, or charities; who can help and when they’re available; and when to hire a moving company or rent a moving van.
Regarding help, start with friends and relatives. With your move date in mind, engage helpers who can commit to a period of time to assist with tasks like downsizing and sorting, cleaning out the basement and garage, packing, and, if needed, moving. If help is unavailable, consider hiring professionals who specialize in moving seniors. The National Association of Senior & Specialty Move Managers offers a great search tool to find a qualified professional nearby.
Tip #2 – Make use of the new floorplan
A move to senior living usually means moving to a smaller home. For those with a family home full of furniture, tools, and equipment, it pays to consult the new floorplan when deciding what to take along.
An easy way to do this is to use a room layout software program like those ranked in thespruce.com article “The Best Free Online Room Planners.” These programs offer the opportunity to prearrange furniture, shelves, artwork, and other items to ensure they will fit once the move to senior living is complete. For those who are computer-shy, ask a child or grandchild to lend a hand.
Tip #3 – Take it one room at a time
Starting with the least-used rooms, tag items according to whether they will make the move to senior living, go into storage, be given to a loved one, go to a charity, be saved for a garage or estate sale, or go in the trash. Using different colored stickers or sticky notes can help make sorting and packing much easier when it’s time to move.
Even with this measured approach, downsizing for a move to senior living can be overwhelming not only due to the sheer size of the project, but can be very emotional as well. When faced with decades of belongings tied to memories, letting go can be difficult. For expert advice on downsizing for a move to senior living, check out the AARP article, “How to Cope With Downsizing Your Home.”
Tip #4 – Pack as you go
Going room-to-room keeps it organized and helps everyone stay on track. From the start, stock up on packing materials like sturdy boxes, bins, packing tape, newspapers and bubble wrap, and a wide permanent marker. Label each container with its destination and store each accordingly. For those containers that will move to senior living, also note which room they will be moved into to make unpacking quicker and avoid moving things twice.
Another great tip is to set aside items that have either monetary or emotional value. Belongings such as medications, jewelry, personal papers, artworks, collections, family scrapbooks, and photo albums should stay with the senior or a trusted family member.
This is also a good time to downsize and pack clothing. Wanted clothes can be packed in bags and luggage, and old, unused, or unwanted clothes tagged for charities or the trash. Get more excellent packing tips in the realsimple.com article, “Moving Tips and Packing Advice for Your Best Move Yet.”
Tip #5 – Make address changes before the move
One aspect of the move to senior living that is easily forgotten is to change addresses with important organizations and individuals. Friends, family, and every business or government agency that provides or will provide services. Among these are:
- The U.S. Postal Service.
- The state department of motor vehicles.
- Healthcare providers.
- Insurance companies.
- Medicare and/or Medicaid.
- Social Security.
- The Internal Revenue Service.
- Financial institutions and professionals.
- Utilities: turn on/off or transfer natural gas, internet, electricity, sewer, cable, and trash. Check with the senior living community to confirm which utilities are included.
If moving to a new area, don’t forget to transfer prescriptions to a pharmacy that is conveniently located near the senior living community.
A little preparation can go a long way toward making the move to senior living the start of a wonderful, new carefree lifestyle. For more information about Countryside, please call Margaret Nagel at (517) 206-5000 or download our brochure to learn about our care levels, cost, and amenities.
