This printable checklist is a planning aid for a household transition. It is not a medical or legal form and does not collect or send your answers. Use it with the older adult and anyone authorized to help make household decisions. Care decisions, medical instructions, and clinical handoffs remain with qualified care professionals.

People, authority, and communication

Confirm who is involved

Ask the older adult how they want to participate and what matters most. Confirm who is authorized to make each household decision. List family contacts and the preferred way to share updates. Identify who can approve provider access, scope changes, and belongings decisions.

Do not assume the person arranging a move has authority over every household choice. Write down who can approve each decision, and ask the relevant person before a provider is instructed to move or remove an item.

Current and next spaces

Gather practical information

Record the current residence and any access or key arrangements. Record the destination if selected, and confirm its requirements directly. Check dimensions, access, delivery windows, and any move-in instructions with the destination. Identify home decisions that remain open: keep, rent, transfer, prepare, or consider a sale.

If destination information is incomplete, list what needs confirmation rather than guessing. Separate decisions that can be made now from those that depend on verified room measurements, access, or scheduling.

Essentials and belongings

Make item decisions at the right pace

List the daily-use essentials needed for the first days in the next space. Set aside documents, photographs, keepsakes, and items awaiting family review. Mark belongings to keep or move. Mark belongings the family may offer for donation. Mark belongings the family may sell or pass to another person. Identify items for removal or disposal only after approval and provider-rule checks.

Use clear labels or a written inventory so items waiting for a decision are not mixed with items already approved to move or leave. Consider identifying one person who can answer questions before an item is handled.

Movers and other providers

Confirm services and responsibilities

Decide whether a mover or other outside provider is needed. Confirm each provider’s availability, accepted items, service terms, and charges directly. Clarify what is coordinated and what each independent provider performs. Confirm who books, pays, and provides access for each provider. Check current municipal rules before relying on a collection program; acceptance and eligibility may be limited.

Ask who is responsible for packing, lifting, transport, removal, and cleanup. A coordination discussion does not automatically mean those physical services are included. Confirm the provider and the task in writing before relying on a handoff.

Access, care handoff, and privacy

Prepare the handoff

Confirm keys, entry instructions, and the contact for access questions. Ask the appropriate care professional about care-related handoff procedures and instructions. Keep medical instructions with qualified care professionals. Do not place sensitive medical information in this checklist or website form. Share household information only with people authorized to receive it.

Decide how to contact the person responsible for access if an arrival time changes. Keep any care-related instructions in the appropriate professional channel rather than adding them to a household checklist.

Scope, fees, and follow-up

Agree before work begins

Review a written scope that names included tasks, exclusions, and responsibilities. Confirm any compensation, payment responsibilities, and known outside-provider charges. Ask about any referral or real-estate compensation connected with a proposed engagement. Set coordination checkpoints and decide who receives updates. Confirm whether settling-in or follow-up is included; discuss added tasks before assuming they are covered.

Before approving work, make sure the scope distinguishes direct work from coordination with independent providers. If the plan changes, pause and agree the revised responsibilities and compensation before adding a task or provider.

Next steps

Coverage and scheduling are confirmed case by case before a written scope is agreed. Use How It Works to review the process, the illustrative Sample Transition Plan as an example, and Fees & How We Are Paid for scope questions. To ask about possible coverage, visit Contact. Do not include sensitive medical information.

Transition Checklist