There are more than 57.8 million senior adults in the United States today. Many of these seniors live in senior communities, so if you're making the move, you're not alone.
When moving to senior housing, however, it can be difficult to downsize and prepare for a smaller space than you may be used to. While senior living offers amazing amenities and a great sense of community, you likely will need to get rid of a few things beforehand.
Looking for downsizing tips that can help you prepare for a senior living transition? Here's how to plan for a move to senior living.
If you need to declutter when moving into a senior living community, the best thing to do is to break up the process into manageable chunks. Any move can be overwhelming, but trying to reduce the number of items you have can be even more difficult.
Consider creating small goals and making a checklist so that you can take things one step at a time without getting too overwhelmed. A checklist can help you better understand what your next step should be at any given time and can help you downsize more efficiently. You'll have a clear roadmap to follow.
As part of taking things one step at a time, you may want to consider going one room at a time when trying to pack, get rid of items, and prepare for your retirement living transition. Going room by room can help keep you motivated since you'll be able to see the progress you're making more easily.
You may want to start with rooms you feel less sentimental about first before moving on to other areas. Consider starting with:
After you're finished with rooms such as these, you can move on to bedrooms and other more personalized areas. This can help you avoid getting bogged down early on.
While you may want to go room by room when organizing your stuff before a big move, another choice is to simply start with the must-haves. Start by simply packing up all the items that you know that you won't want to part with and that you're sure you want to keep with you.
Either write down a list of what you need to bring with you or sort these must-haves into boxes first so that you'll know you have them ready and available. This can make it much easier to start sorting through the rest of your belongings since you will have already gotten all of the most important things out of the way early on.
To reduce the stress and anxiety that you may feel with senior living downsizing, get started as early as you can before the transition. Trying to make important decisions regarding your belongings during senior living planning will be much more difficult if you're doing it at the last minute.
By starting early, you'll be able to go at a more leisurely pace while also being able to make more calculated and levelheaded decisions about what you want to keep or get rid of. While it may seem like a simple tip, starting early can save you from headaches and cut your stress significantly.
Before you start getting rid of your belongings, you may want to make a list of everything you have on hand. Making a list of all of your belongings including home decor, clothing, electronics, and other home items can help in several different ways. Doing so can help you take stock of everything you have and determine what you may be able to toss out or give away.
Once you decide to move your items to a new senior living or assisted living community, an inventory list can also help you ensure you have everything you left with. If a box is missing or if something was lost during transit, you'll know about it.
One of the reasons that downsizing before moving can be so difficult is because many belongings that a person collects over the years have sentimental value. It can be tough to let things go, even if you haven't used them or given them attention in years.
You shouldn't necessarily get rid of just anything that has sentimental value, but you should carefully evaluate whether you truly need a particular item. While you may choose to keep many of these belongings, you may want to give some away to loved ones or even take photos of certain items that you want to remember instead.
If you have a large stockpile of documents or photos in your possession, you may want to consider scanning them and digitizing some or all of them. This could save you a lot of space and reduce the amount of physical items you have to take care of. Storing these items safely on a digital device or in the cloud won't only clear up physical space but will also make it easy for you to access them later on if you need to.
These days, you can easily scan photos and documents with your phone. Alternatively, if you have someone in your family who is particularly tech-savvy, you may want to see if you can enlist their help. They may be able to help you digitize some of your old documents and photos in preparation for your move.
If you want your move to be as stress-free as possible when simplifying to senior living, make sure to use these downsizing tips. Planning your move well and taking a smart approach can take a weight off of your shoulders.
Are you in search of an amazing senior living community in Fairfield, IA? Consider Addington Place of Fairfield. Our dedicated team provides first-class senior living accommodation and care services and is ready to meet your needs.
Interested in our senior living community? Learn more about our senior living options now.