Editor’s note: This article was reviewed and updated on 12/17/24.
A successful move-in program does more than hand over the keys—it makes new residents feel seen, valued, and excited to be part of your senior living community.
This senior living guide will show you how to roll out the red carpet, setting the stage for happier residents, more positive reviews, and long-term success.
Senior Living Guide: How to create a true “red carpet” welcome for new residents.
Have move-in day checklists.
Give each department in your senior living community an internal checklist to make sure they are ready for the new resident. For example, apartment readiness checklist, dining/meal plan checklist, activities checklist, and so forth.
Prior to move-in day, provide the family/ future resident with a list of helpful resources to reduce stress.
Consider sharing a list of local movers, a packing list, downsizing tips, downsizing resources (e.g., junk removal and donation pick-up services), and a paperwork checklist (e.g., what to bring to the lease signing).
Develop move-in day protocols, such as . . .
- Leaving a welcome basket on the kitchen counter
- Providing a welcome packet in people’s apartments with helpful info
- Issuing a senior living resident handbook
- Assigning a staff member to greet the new resident and their family—and to check on them a few times throughout move-in day
- Assigning a resident from the Welcome Committee (more on this below) to be the new resident’s go-to person during the first few weeks
Create a formal Welcome Committee.
Remember the first day of school or camp when you walked in feeling scared and overwhelmed because you didn’t know anyone? But once you made that “first friend,” you knew everything would be OK? The same feelings happen whether you’re eight or eighty.
Remember, new residents have to navigate a new physical space, figure out meal times, make friends/ find someone to have meals with, know where all the activities are taking place, know how to sign up for transportation or salon services, and so forth. It’s a lot of change and a lot to keep track of and remember. Other residents are often the best source to help a new resident fit in and to create a real sense of belonging.
Having an active Welcome Committee in your community is an excellent way to connect warm, friendly residents with the newbies. Be intentional about creating a positive sentiment in the first 30 days.
- Week 1: Deliver a gift card for salon services.
- Week 2: Deliver guest passes for meals to invite family & friends.
- Week 3: Provide a voucher for something special (for example, offer free private transportation to go shopping or pet service for Fido).
- Week 4: Host a housewarming event for the new resident’s friends and family. Give the resident a choice of a nice private lunch, cocktails and appetizers, or coffee and donuts. Let them know this won’t cost them a dime.
- Week 5: Send flowers to mark the first month with a heartfelt note that expresses how happy you are that they’re part of your community.
Keep in mind that there is a compelling business value to creating a positive move-in experience.
When you foster a wonderful, welcoming environment where people can easily become raving fans, well guess what? Raving fans will more likely . . .
- Write a positive review.
- Refer their friends and neighbors and/or participate in your referral program (you’ll enjoy very high conversion rates on those referrals!).
- Not move out! Think of all the money and time you invested in getting that resident to move in. The last thing you need is a resident who moves out in their first month.
Getting all of these different moving parts and programs to work in harmony takes work, but we’ve seen it done successfully before.
Need help? Guess what? We’ve got a special program.
We believe so strongly in creating a warm welcome for new residents that we’ve created a turnkey “red carpet welcome program” that’s waiting for your branding and customization. Get in touch today and we’ll show you how it works!
