Confirm the movers and the elevator booking. Arrange utilities and services at the new address and the disconnection at the old one. Submit a mail forwarding request. Update the address with the bank, government benefits, insurance, the pharmacy and the family doctor.

Refill prescriptions so there is a comfortable supply on hand and no pharmacy visit is needed in the first days. Arrange care for pets on the day. Plan meals for moving day and the day after, because nobody will feel like cooking and takeaway in an unfamiliar neighbourhood is one more decision to make.

If possible, visit the new home once more before the move with a tape measure and decide where the main furniture will go. Deciding that in advance saves a great deal of standing around on the day.

Label every box with the room it goes to in the new home, not the room it came from. Mark the boxes needed on the first night clearly and distinctly, ideally in a bright colour, so they can be identified instantly rather than opened one by one. Number the boxes and keep a simple list if anything valuable is packed, which also helps if something goes missing.

Pack one bag that stays with the person all day, in the car rather than the moving truck. It should contain:

All medications, in their original labelled containers, with a written list of what is taken and when. Glasses and any spare pair. Hearing aids and spare batteries. Any mobility aid that will be needed during the day.

Identification, health card, wallet, keys, the lawyer's contact details and any closing paperwork. Phone and charger. A written list of important phone numbers on paper, in case a phone is lost or dies.

A change of clothes, toiletries, medications for a couple of days beyond the day itself, a bottle of water and something to eat. And one or two small things that matter to them personally, so the first night in the new place has something familiar in it.

This is the most common serious mistake on senior moving day. Medications end up in a box, the box ends up somewhere in a truck or a stack of forty others, and an evening dose gets missed while everyone searches. Keep them in the essentials bag, with the person, always.

Refill prescriptions before the move so there is ample supply. Transfer the prescription file to a pharmacy near the new home in advance rather than after arriving. If a pill organizer is used, fill it for the coming week before packing anything.

In the disruption of the day it is easy for meals, fluids and medication timing to slip, and for an older adult that can matter more than it would for anyone else. Set phone alarms for medication times. Make sure water and food are actually available and actually consumed rather than assumed. Someone should be paying attention to this specifically, because on a busy day nobody does it by default.

A busy house with movers carrying furniture through doorways is genuinely hazardous, and standing for hours supervising is exhausting. Most people do best spending the bulk of the day somewhere comfortable: at a family member's home, at a restaurant with a relative, or in one clear room with a chair, tea and no traffic through it.

But being sent away entirely from a home of forty years, and simply told where to turn up afterward, feels awful and some people resent it deeply. The better approach is to ask what they want rather than deciding for them.

Many people want a few quiet minutes alone in the empty house before leaving it. If that is wanted, make room for it and do not rush it. It matters more than anything else that happens that day.

Ideally one person stays at the old home to oversee loading and do the final walkthrough, while another is at the new home directing where things go. If only one person is available, the new home is the more useful post, since decisions there prevent boxes ending up in the wrong rooms and needing to be moved twice.

Make the bed properly with the usual bedding. Set up the bathroom with toiletries, towels and medications in a sensible place. Put a lamp beside the bed and make sure the path from the bed to the bathroom is clear, lit and free of boxes. This single sequence does more for a good first night than anything else.

After that, a working kettle, a few dishes and somewhere comfortable to sit. The rest of the unpacking can happen over days or weeks. Nobody needs the books shelved on night one.

Put out a few familiar things before leaving for the evening: photographs, a favourite chair positioned properly, whatever normally sits on the bedside table. Walking into a room with something recognizable in it makes a real difference.

Confirm the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms work. Find the electrical panel and the water shutoff. Check that hallways and stairs are properly lit and that nothing is left on the floor to trip over. Note where the emergency call system is in a retirement suite and make sure it is understood. Ten minutes here is well spent.

Re-establishing daily routine matters more than finishing the unpacking. Meals at the usual times, the usual morning routine, the usual walk if there is one. Familiar rhythm in an unfamiliar place is what turns it into somewhere they live rather than somewhere they are staying.

Walk the immediate area together in the first days. Find the nearest pharmacy, the grocery store, the bus stop, the mailbox. Knowing where things are reduces the sense of being somewhere foreign faster than almost anything else.

Visit more often than usual in the first month if you can, then ease off gradually. The early weeks are when isolation is most likely, and regular contact matters. Our guide to the emotional side of downsizing covers the adjustment period in more depth.

The first weeks are often harder than families expect, even when the move was clearly the right decision. Doubt and low mood in the early period are common and usually ease as routine establishes.

If low mood, withdrawal or confusion persists well beyond the first month rather than gradually improving, mention it to their family doctor. Do not simply wait it out on the assumption that it is normal adjustment. It is worth having looked at.