How to pack for the move to an assisted living facility

Deciding what to bring and packing for the move to an assisted living facility should not be taken lightly. This is because what possessions you bring with you will determine how well you’ll adapt in the new surroundings. But when you think of all of your belongings in your old home, it will be an overwhelming task to pick out those things that you need to bring with you, as most of your belongings have their own sentimental value.

So where should you start? Usually, in retirement park homes, only the basic furniture such as beds, dressers and wardrobes are provided. Hence, you’ll have to move the rest of the furniture to your new living space. Important furniture pieces include chairs, sofa set, end tables, coffee table, lamp, nightstand and so on. However, before packing, you’ll need to measure the available size of the assisted living space to see how much more it can accommodate.

A living space needs décor to make it more ‘home-like’ and pleasant to live in. So, you can bring along some picture frames and keepsakes to place in your new living space. You can also decorate it with artwork, vases and other decorative ornaments. However, there must be a large number of memorable decorative items such as pictures, albums and souvenirs accumulated over time in your existing home. You will need to choose the ones with the best sentimental value and memories, as you can’t possibly bring all of them along.

Your personal toiletries such as your own toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, razor, make-up, and so on should also be brought along. Depending on the location and the climate, you can pack different types of attire to suit different seasons and occasions. These include your casual clothing, nightclothes, sweaters, jackets, coats, and one set of formal clothing. As for footwear, you can pack one pair each of sports shoes, slippers, formal shoes, and sandals. You can also bring scarves or shawls to keep warm when the weather turns cold.

Although most assisted living residences do provide their residents with well-balanced meals each day, you can still bring some food and beverages such as your favourite snacks, drinks and some food that you could not get easily there and stock them up.