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Staying home or moving?

A big decision, often made in a hurry. Here’s how to think it through, and who can help either way.

Find local help
Ask these firstBefore anyone packs a box
Reviewed Oct 2026
  • WishesWhat do they want?
  • SafetyCan the home be made safe?
  • HelpHow much help, how often?
  • CostWhat does each option cost?
  • The houseKeep it, rent it or sell it?
SourcesLocal help

Questions to ask first

Tap one to see what to think about.

What do they want?Start here.

Most people want to stay in their own home. Ask what matters most to them, and what worries them. A plan they agree with is a plan that works.

Can the home be made safe?Often, with small changes.
  • Grab bars and a shower seat
  • Better lighting and no loose rugs
  • A bedroom on the main floor
  • Someone checking in on hard days
How much help, how often?A few hours a week goes a long way.

Many people need help with meals, cleaning, bathing or errands, not round-the-clock care. A few visits a week can be what makes staying home possible.

What does each option cost?Compare by the month.

Put a few hours of help at home next to a month in a community. Long-term care insurance and VA benefits can pay for either.

Try the cost calculator · Ways to pay

Keep it, rent it or sell it?Talk to someone who does this often.

Agents with the Seniors Real Estate Specialist (SRES) designation are trained in the questions older sellers face, like timing a sale around a move.

Downsizing and the moveA senior move manager can run it.

Move managers help sort a lifetime of belongings, pack, sell or donate what’s left, and set up the new place so it feels like home on day one.

If they stay home

Help at home, a few hours a week or every day.

  • Meals, housekeeping and laundry
  • Bathing, dressing and getting around
  • Groceries and prescriptions picked up
  • Company, and someone noticing changes

It starts with a free home visit. We look at the home together and plan around their routine.

A caregiver and an older woman talking at the kitchen table

Local help with a move

Chicagoland senior move managers, and real estate agents who hold the SRES designation.

We’re inviting local senior move managers and SRES agents. Listings are free. Nobody pays us to be listed, and we don’t pay for referrals.

Do you help older adults move?

Senior move managers and SRES agents can be listed here, free. We’ll also share your name with families who ask us about a move.

How listings workFor move managers and agents
Free
  • Free, with no referral fees either way
  • Your business name, what you do and phone
  • Families always choose for themselves
  • Remove your listing anytime
Non-exclusiveChicagoland area

Sources

General information. Every family’s situation is different. Last reviewed October 13, 2026.

Want to stay home?

Let’s see what it would take. Free home visit.

Get care started