Senior relocation planning
Helping an aging parent move can be an emotional and logistical challenge, particularly for adult children coordinating the move remotely and juggling goodbyes with work, travel, and other family members.
Four weeks out, start with the hard decisions
- Focus on decision-heavy rooms first (e.g. bedrooms, offices, closets, storage areas, filing cabinets). Important papers and documents (i.e. contact lists, medical information, financial records, legal paperwork, identification, etc.) should be pulled and organized into an easy-to-find location or folder before packing/recycling begins.
- Prioritize items for your parent’s new environment. What will they want close by in order to make the space feel most like home? What can wait to be set up? Consider their daily activities and how they used their space (i.e. evening reading, hobbies, entertaining, cooking, etc.). It can also help to make a floor plan of the new space and figure out what will realistically fit, especially helpful when making decisions with family over the phone/video chat or during short in-person visits. A transition specialist can help with this process.
Three weeks out, decide what leaves
Household sorting for relocation
This is often the hardest part of the process. There’s sentimentality, value, and a lifetime of memories to consider. Give your parent as much autonomy in decision making as possible, but try not to leave everything for the last few days before they move. It can help to make a list of categories and sort accordingly, i.e.:
- Items to move with them
- Items to pass on to loved ones
- Items to sell
- Items to donate/recycle
- Items for household cleanout
Depending on the situation, you may or may not want to sell or donate everything that won’t be moving with them. Consider working with a team of professionals who can assist with the cleanout, donations, liquidation options, etc. so it’s not falling on your shoulders to figure out and coordinate all of that remotely. Skip this step if the home has already been largely cleared out and furniture/household items have a plan in place.
Two weeks out, pack for the first days
- Start packing for the new home, keeping in mind the game plan you formulated a few weeks prior. It can help to label boxes by room, and have a few boxes/bags set aside of must-have items for the first few days (i.e. medications, chargers/electronics, toiletries/personal care items, some basic dishes/pottery, extra linens/sleep sets, some clothing, important documents, etc.)
- Consider what will and won’t be needed at the new place. Are they moving to a smaller home or community that will already have some furniture/household items provided? There’s no need to pack things that won’t be used. Consider a room setup service so everything will be ready to go when they get there, down to unpacking key items, setting up furniture, and even hanging some pictures. You can check Caring Transitions Salt Lake City Relocation to know more.
- Coordinate with family/friends/service providers/vendors to make sure all moving day details are taken care of ahead of time (i.e. confirmation of move-in window, building access/elevator reservation, utility shutoff (I bookmarked https://updater.com/moving-tips/documents-youll-need-to-start-stop-or-transfer-utility-service for this), etc.). Designate a point-person to keep track of the master plan so your parent isn’t receiving updates from ten different people.
In the final week, soften the landing
- Do a final check of your parent’s old residence to make sure they didn’t forget anything (i.e. check medicine cabinets, closets, garage, attic, outdoor storage, behind large pieces of furniture, etc. for important documents, extra sets of keys, etc.)
- Consider working with a full-service move management/relocation company who can help with last-minute details like coordinating the household cleanout, donations, and getting the old residence turned. This is especially helpful if you’re flying back home and won’t be around to coordinate the final details.
- On moving day, keep things low key the first night in the new space. Set up the bedroom first (especially if moving into an unfamiliar care community), have easy go-to dinner options ready to go, and make sure essentials (i.e. medications, lighting, important phone numbers, etc.) are close at hand.
It’s just as important to update important information after the parent as to pack belongings. Set up mail forwarding, and alert doctors, pharmacies, insurance companies and emergency contacts. Establish a plan for picking up or transferring prescriptions and provide a list of medications, daily routines and family contacts for updates if they’re moving into a community. Taking care of these small items can help avoid headaches and communication gaps during the transition.
When the keys are about to change hands
It’s rare for a move to go exactly as planned, particularly one involving an aging parent. It can help to create a shared to-do list ahead of time and delegate/assign tasks accordingly to loved ones/service providers to make the process a bit easier on everyone, and go over it one last time before the keys change hands.
