The most overwhelmed families react to senior living moves in a panic. This twelve-week timeline turns the project into a schedule: who does what, when, and how the sale of the family home funds the new chapter.
Wiz's tip
Start twelve weeks out, not four. Every week of lead time converts directly into calm, and calm is what the senior carries into week one of their new life.
Weeks twelve to ten: decide together
Have the first conversation with the senior at the center. Tour two to three communities with a list of questions in hand. Check waitlists, buy-in fees, and levels of care. Select a primary community and a backup.
Weeks ten to six: prepare the finances and the home
Meet with Michael for the sale strategy of the family home, order a market assessment, and begin downsizing one room at a time. Shop the estate sale company and the senior move manager, and give family members their keep items by a set date.
Weeks six to three: sell and schedule
List the home with Michael, go through inspections and showings, and accept the offer. Reserve the moving date, deposit if required, and complete the community's applications and medical paperwork. Arrange the move-in dates so they align with the closing calendar.
Weeks three to one: execute
Finish the sorting, transfer utilities at the senior's new residence, and schedule the handoff of keys. Change the address with the post office and doctors. On moving week, the senior move team does the packing, and the family does the supporting. The home closes, the move happens, and the senior is settled with a community around them.