What to Bring, Store, and Let Go When a Parent Moves to Assisted Living

Admin
October 31st, 2025

Moving a parent or grandparent into assisted living is a big shift. It changes space, routines, and habits. With a simple plan and a few smart choices, you can protect keepsakes, keep stress down, and make the first week feel calmer. Keepsakes like photos, documents, wood furniture, leather, instruments, and textiles do better in stable conditions. This guide will walk you through the process of helping a loved one move into an assisted living community along with some tips on how to store their posessions.

Start with a shared plan

Talk as a family and agree on a clear goal for the move. Assign roles so everyone knows what to do. When you begin contacting or touring communities, confirm room size, what furniture is provided, and any restrictions. Here's what to ask and how to coordinate care expectations. If you plan to stage items, pick a nearby location. A-Z Storage on Sweeney Hollow Road serves Birmingham, Pinson, Trussville, Center Point, and Chalkville with climate controlled and drive up options.

Measure first, then choose what goes

Bring a tape measure to the new room. Measure wall to wall, closet depth, space beside the bed, and bathroom storage. Sketch the layout or mark up photos on your phone. Back at home, tag items that fit, get used, and bring comfort. Everything else gets a temporary parking spot in a storage unit for a calmer first week.

Bring it, Store it, or Let it go

Create three clear piles and keep them moving with visible labels so helpers stay on the same page.

Bring

Choose daily life and comfort items that fit the measured space.

A favorite chair that truly fits
A small nightstand and lamp
One set of bedding, plus a spare
A week of in-season clothing, plus a light sweater
Eyeglasses, hearing aids, chargers, and labeled pill organizers
One or two framed photos

A short, familiar list prevents the room from feeling crowded on day one.

Store

Protect what matters that does not need to be in the room right away. Climate control is recommended for heat and humidity sensitive items. Good storage candidates include:

Photo albums, loose prints, slides, film, framed art with paper mats
Wood furniture not in use
Leather goods, instruments, vinyl records, heirloom textiles
Seasonal clothing and decor
Important household files and backups

Let Go

Set a donation path and a final review date. Offer items to family first. Then schedule pickup so the pile does not stall progress.

Duplicate cookware or small appliances
Worn linens
Bulky pieces that overwhelm the new space
Unidentified or unrepairable items

A short helper huddle at the end of this step keeps momentum and avoids second-guessing.

Packing that prevents damage

You do not need specialty gear. You do need a little discipline.

Elevate boxes on pallets or plastic shelving for airflow
Leave a center aisle and a few inches from walls
Use banker boxes for papers and photos, clear totes for clothing
Add silica gel packs to photo and document boxes
Wrap wood and leather in clean cotton sheets
Label front, top, and side with a short code and number, and take a quick photo inventory

For photographs, take care to make sure that your storage unit is climate controlled, and try to avoid overfilled boxes for stability and access.

Coordinate people and timing

Coordinate the people and timing in one shared plan: call the community to confirm move-in windows, elevator access, and paperwork; align the elevator reservation, movers, and family helpers; share the storage unit location and gate hours so no one waits; assign one person to hold the keys and gate code. Confirm room measurements and the furniture list, finalize the Bring, Store, Let Go items, pack medications and medical devices in a clearly labeled carry-on bin, photograph valuables before boxing and upload to a shared album, label every side of each box, and confirm the movers’ arrival time, loading path, and payment method.

A practical timeline

Thirty days out. Gather room dimensions, reserve movers, and reserve a unit. A 5×10 climate unit covers photos, papers, and a small furniture set. A 10×10 climate unit covers a sofa, bed frame, dresser, and ten to twelve boxes. Bring, Store, Let Go with each helper owning a zone.

Seven days out. Lock the list. Pack documents and photos first. Stage donations for pickup. Walk the path from the curb to your unit door and plan the first twenty minutes of unloading. Prep tape, blankets, stretch wrap, painter’s tape, a marker, and a small tool kit.

Move day. Start early while it is cooler. Load in room zones. Bed pieces together, then dresser items, then closet items. At the unit, put the heaviest pieces along the back, leave the aisle open, stack light to heavy from top to bottom, and take one final photo of the layout. Place the label legend and a spare key inside the front door at eye level.

A quick note on dignity and emotion

The goal is safety and comfort, not a full rewrite of a person’s life. Ask before discarding sentimental items. Offer choices. If a decision stalls the day, place the item in the Store pile and review later. Guidance from the National Institute on Aging encourages open communication and advocacy, which usually leads to smoother transitions.

Ready to set up storage

A-Z Storage is nearby at 2155 Sweeney Hollow Road in Birmingham. Many families begin with a 5×10 or 10×10 climate controlled unit for photos, documents, and furniture that need steady conditions.

If you prefer faster loading during a short staging window, a 10×10 or 10×15 drive up can make the heavy lifting easier, then you can downshift to climate control once the room is set. Reserve a 5×10 climate unit today or check 10×10 availability near Sweeney Hollow Road.

Use the Storage Calculator first, list what you plan to store, and confirm the size so you do not pay for more space than you need.