Moving Day: What to Bring, What to Leave, and How to Make the Room Feel Like Home

Grace Haven Senior Living · June 3, 2026

The room is private, the bathroom is private, and what goes in it is up to your family. Here is what we suggest.

Bring

• Their own bed and bedding if they want it, or a favorite chair. Familiar furniture helps sleep.
• Photos, a quilt, a lamp, a clock they can read.
• A television if they watch one. Cable is included.
• Clothing for the season, labeled. Comfortable shoes with good soles.
• Toiletries they like. Showers and grooming are part of daily care, so bring their brands.
• Glasses, hearing aids with batteries, dentures with a labeled case.
• A complete list of medications and the doctors' names. Medications will be filled through Bostick's and delivered here.
• Copies of advance directives, power of attorney, and insurance cards.

Leave

• Large valuables and large amounts of cash.
• Throw rugs and extension cords, which cause falls.
• Space heaters and candles.

Family supplies

Incontinence supplies and nutritional supplements are provided by the family, so set up a plan for restocking. A personal landline phone is available for $40 a month.

The first week

Expect some adjustment. Visit, but do not hover. Let staff build the routine. Most residents are settled within a couple of weeks, and the ones who said they would hate it are often the ones who end up running the dominoes table.

Questions about move-in? Call (231) 824-7770.