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A Gift Of Time, LLC
Senior Move Managers — Serving Milwaukee & Southeastern Wisconsin for 30 Years
agiftoftime.net · (414) 510-9695 · info@agiftoftime.net · Mon–Fri: 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM
How to Move a Parent Into Assisted Living
A five-phase plan — from the first conversation to the first month
NASMM Certified · BBB A+ Rated · 30+ Years Experience
Most difficult moves are difficult because the phases get scrambled: deciding before touring, packing before measuring, moving before the family agrees. Work through these five phases in order and the whole thing settles down.
Phase 1 — Start the conversation
- Ask what worries them most before offering any solution.
- Frame a move as a plan — not an emergency and not a verdict.
- Tour one community together with no pressure to decide that day.
- Bring siblings into the same conversation early so no one hears it secondhand.
- Write down what "home" still has to feel like for your parent.
- Agree in advance who signs, who pays, and who makes which decision.
Phase 2 — Tour and choose
- Tour once at a mealtime and once on a weekend — staffing shows.
- Ask how the team handles a resident having a bad day.
- Confirm how the level-of-care assessment works and what it can add to the monthly fee.
- Ask exactly what is not included: medications, laundry, transportation, care add-ons.
- Meet the caregivers who will actually be on the floor, not only the sales director.
- Read the contract and ask about the history of annual rate increases.
- Ask to see the most recent state inspection results.
Phase 3 — Prepare the apartment
- Get the floor plan and measure the real space, including doorways and turns.
- Choose furniture that fits the new plan — not furniture from the old house.
- Sort belongings into keep, family, donate, sell, and shred.
- Order the bed, dresser, and one favorite chair first; everything else follows.
- Pack a first-night box: bedding, towels, toiletries, medications, phone charger.
- Notify Social Security, Medicare, banks, insurance, and the post office.
- Transfer prescriptions to a pharmacy near the community.
- Book the movers and reserve the elevator and loading zone with the building.
Phase 4 — Move week
- Label every box with the room it belongs in at the new apartment.
- Keep medications, documents, and valuables with the family — never on the truck.
- Set up the bed and bathroom first so the first night works.
- Hang pictures and set out familiar items before you leave.
- Remove every box and all packing paper the same day.
- Introduce your parent to two staff members by name before you go.
Phase 5 — The first month
- Visit on a predictable schedule rather than constantly and unpredictably.
- Expect a dip in mood and appetite for the first two to three weeks — it is common.
- Check in with the nurse about medications and any change in behavior.
- Encourage one activity a week, not a full calendar.
- Keep the old routine anchors: same coffee, same radio station, same bedtime.
- Report concerns to the executive director in writing, not only to the aide on duty.
General guidance only. Care decisions should be made with the community, your parent, and their physician.
More detail online: agiftoftime.net/resources/assisted-living-guide
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Moving a parent into assisted living in Milwaukee or Southeastern Wisconsin? · A Gift of Time Senior Move Management · (414) 510-9695 · agiftoftime.net
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