Two preparatory steps to take before moving to a retirement community

If you will be moving to a retirement community soon, here are some preparatory steps that you will need to take before you set off to this assisted living facility.

Find a new home for any pets you have

Some retirement communities allow residents to have pets. However, many do not. If the facility you will be moving into has a 'no pets' rule, then you will need to find a new home for any pets you currently have.

This can be very challenging, both from a practical standpoint and an emotional one. As such, it's important not to rush through it. Ideally, you should begin looking for a new home for your pets at least a few months before you need to move. This will not only give you time to assess potential candidates, but will also give you a chance to process the emotions involved in giving away your beloved pet.

It is best to arrange for your pets to be taken by their new owners a few weeks prior to the day on which you will be moving to the assisted living facility. The reason for this is as follows; moving to a new place can be emotionally draining. As such, if your pet gets taken away a day or so before you are supposed to move, the combination of these two highly emotional experiences may make you feel extremely overwhelmed.

Arranging for your pet to be collected a couple of weeks beforehand will give you time to recover from this experience before you go through the process of moving to the retirement community.

Decide which items you'll be taking with you

You will also need to decide which items you will be taking with you to the assisted living property. If you own a lot of things and will, therefore, need to part ways with a lot of possessions, this could be a difficult process.

Before you undertake this task, contact the manager of the retirement facility and ask them what type of items they will provide (for example, some facilities of this kind give residents bedding, cookware, a television, etc.). Doing this will ensure that you do not take items that will already be provided at the facility. This, in turn, will ensure that you don't end up overfilling your new home with duplicate objects.

When you start packing, it is best to begin by packing practical items. For example, make sure that you take all of the garments and footwear that you use on a daily basis, as well any mobility aids that you need to get around (such as a walking frame).

After these essential things have been packed, you should then pack things that could be considered 'entertainment'. Items that might be featured in this category include your favourite books, as well as items that you need for your hobbies (such as drawing tools if you like to sketch or cameras if you are an amateur photographer).

Then, the final category of items is sentimental objects. This might include things like photo albums, and postcards sent to you by friends and family over the years. Try to be selective about which mementoes you choose to keep, as there is likely to be a limited amount of storage space in your assisted living property.