Senior Moving Checklist
2 Months Before Your Move
- Finalize retirement community choice
- Send home/condo/apartment depositInquire about move-in restrictions (days/times)
- Pick a moving date
- Call insurance agent to see if change in policy (renter vs. homeowner) is needed
- Research senior move management services
- Ask for a consult and decide if services are necessary
- Get pricing for moving and shipping services
- Visit the BBB website, social media websites, and ask for references
- Once you’ve made a decision, book ASAP
- Purchase moving insurance
- Secure apartment dimensions and create a floor plan
- Decide what furniture and other belongings will fit (and won’t fit)
- Take pictures to recreate setup of prior home. This is especially important for Alzheimer’s and Dementia patients.
- Begin sorting items into three groups: Keep, Donate, Trash
- Hold a garage sale
- Order a dumpster for junk removal
- Reserve storage space if necessary
- Order boxes, packing tape, bubble-wrap, and other supplies
- Fill out USPS change of address paperwork
1 Months Before Your Move
- Notify all physicians of relocation; if moving out of the area, ask for referrals in new area
- Schedule disconnection of utilities in old home
- Phone
- Internet
- Cable
- Water
- Garbage
- Gas
- Electric
- Begin packing non-essential items (towels, linens, extra dishware, etc.)
- Label packed boxes by room (use multicolored tape) and contents
- Separate valuable items to transport yourself
- Notify services about change of address:
- Insurance
- Credit card companies
- Social Security Administration
- State Vehicle Registration
- State/Federal Tax Bureau
- Pharmacy/prescription deliver program
- Banks
- Cancel magazine and newspaper subscriptions
- Print new checks with new address
1 – 2 Weeks Before Your Move
- Confirm movers (date, time, pricing, number of personnel on hand, etc.)
- Continue packing
- Pack suitcases with clothes and personal items
- Separate daily necessities for quick, easy access to them in the new home
- Make sure all prescriptions are filled
- Take pictures of furniture and note any damages on an inventory sheet
- Dispose of hazardous waste – paint, propane, gasoline, etc.
2 – 4 Days Before Your Move
- Begin packing necessities
- Create a schedule for moving day
- Have a screwdriver, wrench, pliers, tape, etc. handy
- Set aside boxes you’re moving yourself
Moving Day
- Remove bedding and take beds apart
- Take movers through the house and inform them of what to do
- Check each room for things left behind
- Verify utilities work at new home
- Assemble bedding and important personal spaces first (i.e. bedroom, bathroom)
- Begin unpacking essential for kitchen bathroom, living room
Other Important Tips
For the first few weeks after the move, keep an eye on yourself (or your elderly loved one). Alert the staff about any difficulty adjusting, as this could be Relocation Stress Syndrome.
If your elderly loved one suffers from Alzheimer’s or Dementia, the moving process could be particularly challenging. The goal should be to make the new apartment as close to their previous home as possible to reduce stress and confusion. Taking pictures is an easy way to help you recreate living spaces from the old home. When unpacking, prioritize the bedroom – make sure this is fully set up as soon as possible
Moving is a long, arduous process. If you don’t have the time or the desire to deal with all of the details, hire a professional with experience in the Seniors Moving Market. Boundless Moving & Storage has a Dedicated Senior Moving Manager to help guide you and your loved ones through the moving process, assisting in every task necessary.
Boundless Moving & Storage Will Help You:
- Develop and overall move plan
- Organize, sort, and downsize
- Customer floor plans for your new home
- Provide professional packing services
- Move and unpack your items in your new home
- Carefully ship furniture and other family treasures to your children, grandchildren, or other destinations in the U. S.
- Arrange for storage if necessary
- Oversee the disposal of unwanted items
- Provide any related service, including: cleaning, waste removal, shopping, senior escort, assisting with selection of realtor, and helping prepare the home to be sold