A father leaves the house he lived in for 40 years and moves into his daughter’s spare room in Alpharetta. The truck takes one day. His prescriptions, his doctors, his insurance, and his sense of where the bathroom is at 3 a.m. take longer.
Before moving day
Medicine list. Write down every medicine, dose, and prescribing doctor. Ask the current pharmacy to transfer prescriptions to a pharmacy near the new home.
Refills. Make sure there is enough of every medicine to last until the first appointment with a new doctor.
Records. Ask each current doctor to send records to the new doctors, or to give the family a copy.
First appointment. Book a visit with a new primary care provider for the first weeks after the move.
Equipment. Arrange delivery of the hospital bed, walker, shower chair, or oxygen before the parent arrives.
Insurance deadlines that start with the move
Medicare Advantage and Medicare drug plans serve set areas. When a person moves out of the plan’s service area, Medicare allows a switch to a new plan. That chance begins when the person moves and lasts 2 full months after the move. If the person tells the plan before moving, the chance begins the month before the move (Medicare). Ask the current plan whether the new address is inside its service area.
Medicaid is run by each state. A parent who moves to Georgia from another state must apply for Georgia Medicaid.
Report the new address to Social Security at 1-800-772-1213. If the parent is a veteran, report it to the VA as well.
The first weeks
Light the night path. Put night lights from the bed to the bathroom, and walk that route with the parent on the first evening.
Familiar things in familiar places. Set up the parent’s chair, photos, and bedside table the way they were at the old house.
Keep a daily routine. Meals, medicines, and bedtime at the same times each day.
Watch for sudden confusion. Confusion that comes on over hours or days can be delirium, which is a medical problem. OPA’s guide to sudden confusion lists what to do.
When the parent moves in with family
Decide in advance who handles medicines, appointments, and nights, and write it down. OPA’s guide to when one sibling carries the work shows how to divide the jobs among family members who live elsewhere.
Where home care helps
A caregiver can start on moving day, help the parent learn the new home, and keep the routine steady while the family unpacks and returns to work. Ask for the same caregiver for the first weeks, so the parent sees a familiar face in the new home.
A first step this week
Call the parent’s Medicare plan and ask whether the new address is in the plan’s service area.
To arrange help for a parent who is moving, see how care starts at OPA.
Medicare and Medicaid rules change. Confirm current requirements before acting. Confirm plan options with Medicare or the plan, and Georgia Medicaid questions with the Georgia Department of Community Health. This is general information, not legal or medical advice.
