Downsizing Tips for Older Adults: A Complete Guide to Easier Transitions

The “golden” years often come with many changes and transitions, downsizing being one of them. Downsizing, or moving from one home to a smaller one, may be an attractive strategy for the future.  There are many reasons why older adults opt to downsize, including the following scenarios:

• Your spouse passed away, and now you are alone in the home
• A larger home is hard to maintain as you age, especially with limited mobility
• You have unused rooms in your house
• You are moving into independent living and selling your home

If you decide to move into a smaller home or plan to move into a retirement home or independent living, here are some downsizing tips for older adults to make the process easier.

1. Shift Your Mindset

Downsizing may stir up difficult emotions like feelings of loss, depression, or anxiety. Change is always hard, and downsizing may be attached to feelings of losing independence and grief over the past. You can acknowledge and honor these feelings, but keeping perspective is important. After all, downsizing has numerous benefits. For example,

• A smaller home is easier to maintain
• Moving allows you to go through belongings and scale down to the ones you need
• Life can be simpler
• A new space can be more accessible to navigate, such as switching to a one-story home compared to two stories
• Moving to an appropriate home can help you avoid hazards like snow and ice that become harder to deal with as you age
• Downsizing can help save money
• If moving into independent living or a similar environment, downsizing comes with additional benefits, like a community to interact with

2. Plan Your Moving Process

Moving involves many details and a timeline to follow. To stay organized and minimize stress, develop a strategic plan with a timeline that shows what you need to accomplish and when. Making last-minute decisions adds stress, so following this plan makes it easier to take care of the moving process one step at a time and stay on top of what needs to be done. 

3. Start in Advance

If you have the time before you need to move, begin going through your possessions well in advance; this stage often takes a lot of time and work, especially if you have been in your home for decades. Taking your time with packing allows you to reminisce and decide what you want to keep and what can go. Also, it can allow you to split up belongings and give heirlooms to adult children early, which can create special moments and prevent quibbles between them later.

If you do not have the time, you can put your extra belongings into a storage unit or a loved one’s home until you can sort through them.

4. Plan Out Your New Space

Before moving in, consider the floor plan of your new space. Look at the square footage and layout, including aspects like where the doors and closets are located. This information will help you determine how to fit your current furniture into the new floor plan and whether it is best to get rid of some furniture.

5. Recruit Family Members to Help

Large projects like moving become more manageable when you have help. Many hands make light work, so enlist family members to help pack boxes and plan certain aspects of the move. They can also help you physically move furniture and belongings from one home to another,  rather than hiring a moving company. 

6. Start by Decluttering

Deciding what to keep and what to get rid of can be challenging. Start with a decluttering process that involves removing junk and items you know you do not need. Get rid of duplicate items that only get in the way and items you have not used for a year or more.

When you begin packing items that will come with you, start with ones you know you want to keep but do not need for everyday use, such as seasonal or sentimental items; just be sure not to overdo it so everything fits in your new space. 

7. Decide What to Toss, Give Away, Sell, or Donate

When getting rid of possessions, you do not need to throw away everything. The garbage is good for junk and damaged items. But if an item is still in good condition, someone else could use it.

First, think about which items your loved ones may want to keep. For what is left over, think about whether you could sell the item. After that, you can donate the rest to a local charity. That is the order: toss, give away, sell, then donate. 

8. Clearly Label Boxes

As you box up items, label the side of the box with the room’s name and contents. For example, a box could say “dining room” and “contains dishes and silverware.” This information will help you know exactly what is in each box, making the process much easier when it is time to unbox in the new home.

If you plan to use a moving company, use code words for valuables or have a family member help you move those items.

9. Keep Important Documents Separate

Stay organized and keep important documents like social security cards, healthcare records, and financial information in a file and separate from the moving boxes. Keep these documents with you and move them from one location to the next yourself.

10. Pack Essentials Last

Wait until the end to pack items you use regularly, including essential medication, toiletries, clothing, and cooking items. You will still need these items during the transition, so they will be the last to move.

11. Keep Sentimental Items in a Different Form

We all have a sentimental side, and keeping items for their sentimental value rather than a purpose can be easy. If the items are now getting in the way of a smooth transition to a smaller home, consider finding a way to keep their sentimentality while eliminating the item itself.

For instance, it is possible to:

• Digitize physical photos and store them in the cloud or a flash drive (or both) rather than keeping all the photos
• Rather than keeping an entire blanket that holds sentimental value, cut a small square and keep just that piece
• Turn the nameplate from a trophy and pendants from jewelry into wall displays that incorporate many pieces – like a shadow box or something similar
• For anything else that you cannot dismantle, take pictures of the items so you can cherish the memories they hold while getting rid of the physical items 

12. Keep Familiar Surroundings

While downsizing offers the chance for a positive change, you can keep some things the same. For a sense of familiarity in a new environment, you can arrange the furniture and personal items in the same way you had them in the previous home. 

13. Know What to Expect from the New Community

If you are moving to an independent living or retirement community, learn about its guidelines and features in advance. This will prevent unwelcome surprises and help you prepare for your move.

This part of the process also includes finding out what services and amenities the community provides and which ones you are responsible for. For example, does the neighborhood include cable television, internet, and landscaping services, or will those be your responsibility? Knowing what you do and do not need to arrange ahead of time and preparing accordingly will make the transition less stressful. 

14. Choose and Create a Safer Environment

Many older adults downsize and move because their current house becomes challenging to navigate and may not be as safe for them going forward. Usually, stairs are the culprit. 

Moving allows you to choose a safer space, so keep this in mind as you select and set up the new home. You can still create a familiar environment with the same furniture and decor while creating a safer environment. 

Here are some ways to maximize safety:

• First, choose a safer home layout, such as one without stairs or uneven flooring
• If the new home does not already include safety features, such as grab bars for the shower, you can add some
• Minimize tripping hazards by keeping rooms open, setting up the room so there is enough space to move around well, removing clutter from the floors, and setting up cords so they are not a tripping hazard 
• If you have a choice, choose non-slip flooring, and put backing behind rugs

15. Be Open to a Moving or Organizational Professional

If you find it emotionally draining to go through your things or cannot make the decisions on your own, professional organizers can help. These specialists can help you review your items and determine what to keep and eliminate.

Since they are not as emotionally attached to your items, they will find it easier to figure everything out. They also tend to have systems and methods for simplifying the decluttering process.

In addition, moving professionals are helpful for boxing items and moving them from one location to another if your family is unable to help. Then, you can skip some of the physical and emotional burdens of the process.

Consider a Senior Living Community

Downsizing might make you think of a smaller house or condo. However, there are many different options available for seniors. For example, independent living is worth considering as it provides a high level of autonomy with less care than a nursing home or assisted living.

Senior living communities include certain features and amenities that can support a well-rounded life. Depending on the community, they might provide activities and transportation. In addition, many of these communities offer supportive options like housekeeping and meals, making life easier as you age.

Living in a senior community like the aforementioned can help combat the challenging emotions that may come with downsizing, as many independent living communities offer social activities. Moving to one also makes it easier to transition to a different kind of senior living community, such as assisted living, memory care, or a nursing home, if the time comes for a change like that.

Take Advantage of Senior Living Placement Support with CarePatrol

We hope these downsizing tips make your transition easier. If you are interested in senior care options, CarePatrol can help you find the right independent living, assisted living, memory care, or other options to fit your needs. We provide our senior care advisory services at no cost to you. Contact us or find a Local Senior Care Advisor near you.