Moving a Parent: A Checklist for the Family Doing the Planning

Moving a parent is a project with two jobs: the logistics, and keeping everyone's feelings in one piece. This checklist covers the logistics so you have more energy for the rest.

Four Weeks Out

• Talk with your parent about what matters most to keep. Write it down so you can point back to it later.
• Get the floor plan of the new home and measure the large furniture.
• Pick a move date and confirm it with the new building. Ask about elevator reservations and move-in hours.
• Decide who the point person is. One person talks to the crew, the building and the family.

Two Weeks Out

• Sort room by room. Keep, give to family, donate, discard.
• Take photos of anything going to a relative so the handoff is clear later.
• Set aside papers, jewelry, medications and small valuables. These travel with a family member, not on a truck.
• Book your crew. Weekday moves cost less than weekend moves. Rates by zone are on the pricing page, and there is a 2-hour minimum.

The Week of the Move

• Pack an essentials box: medications, glasses, chargers, bedding, toiletries, a few favorite things from the kitchen.
• Label boxes by the room they go to in the new place, not the room they came from.
• Walk the new home with your parent and agree where the big pieces go. Tape a note on each room door.
• Confirm the arrival time with the crew and tell them who is on site.

Move Day

• Have the point person at the old home while the crew loads and, if possible, a second family member at the new home.
• Keep your parent away from the heavy work and the noise if that helps. A short visit to the new place first can make the afternoon easier.
• Do a last walk through of every closet, cabinet and the garage before the crew leaves.

After the Move

• Make the bed, hang a few pictures and plug in the lamp and TV first. A room that looks familiar on night one matters.
• Update the address with the bank, pharmacy, doctors, insurance and Social Security.
• Forward the mail through USPS.

Planning from out of town? Book online and tell us who will be on site.