PREPARING FOR A MOVE
Think of this as an opportunity to straighten out the junk drawer in the kitchen!
“Yup, 30 years of stuff and some big furniture pieces can seem overwhelming to move.”
“Remember you’re hiring movers, it will be alright. People move every day and it doesn’t make the news.”
The Decluttering Process
One Room at a Time
Let’s talk about your goals.
Keep, Donate, Sell, Toss
Create four boxes for each room. Be honest about what you’ve actually used in the past year.
Take Photos
You can keep the memory of sentimental items without keeping them. Create a digital album of special pieces.
Measure it
Measure your new space first so you know exactly what furniture will fit before you move.
Pace Yourself
Begin decluttering 2–3
months before moving. This will give you time to pace yourself. Work in 2-hour sessions to avoid fatigue.
“It’s going to be alright, may not feel like it sometimes, but trust us!”
Emotions of Moving
Good Change is Still Hard
Leaving your old home behind can bring feelings of loss, uncertainty, or even guilt. These emotions are completely normal and often shared by many seniors and their families
The key is to acknowledge those feelings while focusing on what lies ahead: safety, support, and an opportunity to simplify life.
The move can open doors to new friendships, social activities, and a renewed sense of community that often gets lost when living alone.
Packing Tips
While sorting and packing, do the following:
- Focus on the memories, not the objects
- Keep one meaningful item from each category
- Share stories with family members as you sort
- Consider gifting special items to family now
- Remember: less stuff means more freedom
Replicate the Old Environment
Moving is a big change. It might be comforting to have some things look the same in your new home. Take photos of how things are arranged in your home (the arrangement of pictures on walls and the items on bureaus). If possible, try to recreate the feel of your former residence. If you’re moving to a Care Home then ask what items may you
Actions to Take
Timing Between Residences
Be sure you understand the timing between your new home becoming available and you needing to be out
of your current home.
Coordinate accordingly and have a backup plan should there be a delay in access to your new home.
Movers
If you’re using movers, then start calling now. Good movers are often booked out weeks in advance. You might want to call a few movers to get quotes and learn about lead times.
Shipping Things?
If you’re thinking about shipping something, just like with the movers, do your homework. Movers and shippers are notorious for piling on extra fees and not arriving on the agreed upon day and time.
Household Hazard Materials
People often forget about getting rid of household chemicals that they do not desire to take with them to their next destination and need to be disposed of properly.
Typically, your local trash transfer station will accept free of charge a limited amount of paint and all your old electronics.
For other chemicals, there are various free events for drop offs, but these usually require an appointment which may not come up for weeks.
Cancel/Start Home Services
Don’t forget to cancel services and your home insurance at your old place and start everything again at your new place.
Consider the moving checklist on the following pages to assist you with notifying everyone necessary and making your transition as smooth as possible.
Information and Key Documents
The following list includes important documents and contact information that should be located & collected when moving. It’s an ideal list to keep in mind when you are packing or organizing your possessions.
Personal & Family Materials
- Birth certificates
- Marriage certificate
- Citizenship papers
- Divorce/separation papers
- Adoption papers
- Relatives (names, phone, addresses) awards
- Social Security numbers/cards
- Passports (numbers, expiration dates)
- Driver’s licenses (numbers, expiration dates)
- California ID Card
- Military records
- Education: diplomas, records
Medical
Have the contacts for all the following:
- Physicians
- Pharmacists
- Dentists
- Hospitals of choice (address/telephone)
- Medicare numbers
- Health care proxies, living wills, resuscitation orders
- Medicaid/Medi-Cal numbers (caseworker numbers, address/telephone)
- Social worker or caseworker contacts
- Medications (dosages, purpose, prescribing physicians, pharmacy, address/telephone)
Legal
- Wills (dates of documents, executor names, address/telephone)
- Powers of Attorney (names, including backup, address/phone)
- Durable Powers of Attorney (names, including backup, address/phone)
- Guardianships & Conservatorships (names, address/telephone)
- Trust agreements
- Living wills
- Health care proxies
This may be a good time to speak to a Financial Advisor
They can assist you with managing & maximizing the income from your assets
Income Sources
- Retirement
- Disability benefits
- Social Security
Financial Assets
(institution, account #s, address/phone, form of ownership, current value)
- Cash
- Life insurance
- Annuities
- 401k or 403b
- Retirement & pension plans
- Bonds
- Money market funds
- Stocks
- Bank accounts
- IRAs
- Mutual funds
Real Estate
(addresses, location of deeds, form of ownership, insurance, current value)
- Primary home
- Investment property
- Vacation
Other Assets
(location of items, titles, documents, form of ownership, insurance, value, etc.)
- Automobiles
- Businesses
- Inheritances
- Collections
Consider meeting with an Insurance Professional.
Should you be exploring long term care and life insurance options?
Other Info
- Inventory of family historical records, documents, photos, keepsakes
- Burial instructions (funeral home location, name of director, whether funeral has been prepaid, cemetery plot location, organ donor instructions, special instructions for grave markers)
- Safe deposit boxes (institution names, address/telephone, location of keys and list of contents, other names on safe deposit boxes)
- Tax records
Other Important Contacts
- Attorneys
- Accountants
- Clergy
- Bankers
- Stockbrokers
- Service providers (gardeners, housekeepers, drivers, etc.)
- Club memberships, volunteer activities, senior centers (names, address/telephone)
- Subscriptions (magazines, newspapers, book of the month, supplements, crafts, etc.)
- Landlord (name, address/telephone)
- Past employers (company names, address/telephone, dates of retirement, contact persons, employee ID numbers)
- Close friends and neighbors (note who has keys to house/apartment/condominium)
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