Who can help you move a parent into assisted living? Six kinds of help, compared
Moving a parent into assisted living means two jobs at once. You choose a place, and you move a whole household into one apartment. Different people help with different parts. This guide shows who does what, who pays them, and when each one makes sense.
- In a hospital or rehab? Start with the discharge planner. Their help is part of the stay.
- Need names of places fast? A placement agency is free to you. Communities pay it, so it only shows places in its network.
- Hard care questions, or family disagreement? An Aging Life Care Professional gives independent advice. You pay by the hour.
- A big house to sort and move? A senior move manager does the physical work. You pay them.
- Need public services or benefits? Call the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116 to reach your local Area Agency on Aging. It's free.
- Doing most of it as a family? Use a plan with dates and owners. It works next to any of the options above.
The six options side by side
| Who | Who pays | What they do | What they don't do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hospital discharge planner or social worker | Part of the hospital or rehab stay | Recommend the level of care, share lists of places, arrange the transfer | Tour with you, sort the house, stay involved after discharge |
| Placement or referral agency | Communities in its network, when you move in | Suggest communities, set up tours, pass along prices and openings | Show places outside the network, handle the move |
| Aging Life Care Professional (geriatric care manager) | Your family, usually by the hour | Assess needs, advise on the right level of care, coordinate care and speak up for your parent | Usually not packing or moving |
| Senior move manager | Your family | Sort, downsize, pack, move, set up the apartment, clear the old home | Choose the community or handle admission paperwork |
| Area Agency on Aging | Free, publicly funded | Information on local services, benefits and programs | Run your move or recommend one community |
| Your family, with a plan | Your family's time, plus any help you hire | Everything, in order, with dates and owners | Physical help you'd rather hire out |
1. The hospital discharge planner or social worker
If your parent is in a hospital or a rehab stay, someone there plans what happens next. Often it's a nurse or a social worker. They can tell you what level of care the team recommends and which places can take your parent. They also send the medical forms a community needs.
Their time is short, because their job ends when your parent leaves. Ask early, and ask for the recommendation in writing. Our guides on what a discharge planner does and the questions to ask them help you use that time well.
2. A placement or referral agency
Placement agencies, such as A Place for Mom, suggest communities, set up tours and pass along prices. They are free to families. The communities in their network pay them when a family they referred moves in (Forbes, 2024).
That can save time, especially in a city you don't know. Keep two things in mind. You only hear about places that work with the agency. And after you fill out a form, several people may call you. Ask which communities pay them, and say how you want to be contacted. More in how referral services work.
3. An Aging Life Care Professional (geriatric care manager)
These are professionals, often nurses or social workers, who focus on aging. They meet your parent, assess what help is needed and advise on the right place and level of care. They can coordinate doctors and services and help when siblings disagree.
Families pay them directly. According to the Aging Life Care Association, rates vary by place and experience and may not be covered by insurance. Ask for the fees in writing before they start. You can search for one in the association's directory.
4. A senior move manager
Senior move managers help older adults and families organize, declutter, downsize and relocate (NASMM). They sort the house with your parent, plan what fits, hire and oversee the movers, set up the new apartment and clear out what's left.
They take the heaviest physical work off your family. They don't choose the community, and they don't do the admission paperwork. Get a written estimate. Our post on when a move manager is worth it lists the questions to ask.
5. Your local Area Agency on Aging
Across the U.S., local Area Agencies on Aging help older adults and their families. It can tell you about local programs, benefits such as Medicaid waivers, and services like meals or transportation. The Eldercare Locator connects you to yours, online or at 1-800-677-1116. It's free.
6. Your family, with a plan
Most families end up doing most of the work themselves, even when they hire help. What makes it hard isn't any single task. It's keeping track of all of them, on time, between several people. You need to know what happens today and who does it.
That's what a plan with dates does. Enter the move-in date once, and every task gets a day, an owner and a status. Tour questions and a side-by-side score help you compare places fairly. Tasks that need someone on site are marked, so siblings far away take the calls and paperwork. That's how Parent Move Plan works. It fits next to any of the options above. Put the discharge planner's recommendation on Day 3 and the move manager's quote in week four.
How to combine them
- After a hospital stay, with 30 days: discharge planner for the level of care and the medical forms, a placement agency or your own research for a short list, a plan for the dates, movers for the day itself.
- A big family home and a parent who can't decide: an Aging Life Care Professional for the decision, a senior move manager for the house, a plan so siblings see who does what.
- A small apartment, siblings nearby: a plan, a free checklist and a rented truck may be all you need.
Questions
Who helps you find assisted living for a parent?
If your parent is in a hospital or rehab, start with the discharge planner or social worker there. A placement or referral agency can suggest communities in its network for free, because communities pay it when you move in. An Aging Life Care Professional (geriatric care manager) gives independent advice for a fee. Your local Area Agency on Aging, found through the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116, lists public services for free.
Are assisted living placement services really free?
Free to families, yes. Most are paid by the senior living communities in their network when a family they referred moves in. That means they can only suggest communities that work with them. Ask which communities pay them, and tell them how you want to be contacted.
What does a senior move manager do?
A senior move manager helps older adults and families sort, downsize, pack, move, set up the new apartment and clear out the old home. The family pays them directly. They handle the physical move, not the choice of community or the paperwork.
Can we move a parent to assisted living without hiring anyone?
Many families do. It takes a clear list of tasks with dates, one person who keeps the plan, and a fair split of the work between siblings. Free help from a discharge planner or the Area Agency on Aging fills gaps, and you can hire movers for the heavy lifting.
Related: the 60-day moving checklist, how to do it in 30 days and splitting the work with siblings.
This guide is general information for organizing a move. It is not legal, financial or medical advice. We don't take money from communities, agencies or move managers.