As many as 70% of Americans will have to move into assisted living accommodations in their lifetime. Moving into senior living can be a big life change for older adults, but it doesn’t have to be a stressful process.
By taking the time to emotionally prepare for a move, making a detailed downsizing plan, following our downsizing checklist, and finding the right senior living home, you can make moving into senior living a more comfortable experience.
Emotional Preparation
The process of downsizing is more comfortable if you start early. If you believe that you or your loved one may need to enter senior living in the future, start having conversations about the process early on.
By taking the time to prepare for both a move and downsizing your belongings, you’ll be ready to make tough decisions about letting many possessions go. Being emotionally ready to move will make the transition to your new home smoother, allowing you to find your new normal quickly. It can also be helpful to recruit help! Find a trusted friend or family member who can help you in the downsizing process.
Emotional preparation can look different for everyone. Some may choose to enroll in a therapy program to process the change they are about to face. Others may choose to spend time with family and reminisce on the good memories that they built in their current home.
Another great way to manage stress is to develop a daily routine that you can follow before, during, and after a move. This should include waking up and sleeping at consistent times, regular eating, regular exercise, and socializing with friends.
Make a Plan
Downsizing your belongings and packing up your life can seem like an impossible task. Luckily, breaking a large task like “downsize the house” into a series of smaller, specific tasks is a great way to set yourself up for success. In addition, using deadlines and prioritizing which areas of your home you want to tackle first can make downsizing manageable.
Your plan should start with finding the right senior living accommodations for you. By assessing your needs, you can decide which senior living facilities in your community will be able to accommodate any medical or social needs present.
Once you decide on a community, you can request the floor plan of your preferred facility. This will let you visualize how much space you will have, and what furniture you’ll have room for. After you know what you can and can’t take with you to your new home, you can start tackling the downsizing checklist.
The Downsizing Checklist
There are a few different areas of your life that you’ll need to tackle when downsizing. While our list is fairly complete, it’s important to make your own list—one that’s tailor-made for you and your belongings. Some areas that you will have to consider when downsizing include:
- Paperwork
- Furniture & Appliances
- Personal Items
- Memberships & Subscriptions
- Large Items
1. Paperwork
- Names and contact information for your professional contacts. This should include lawyers, doctors, accountants, dentists, etc.
- Records of personal assets including information about banking, investments, insurance policies, and assets.
- Photos and records of all personal possessions.
- A list of personal debts and liabilities.
- Your birth certificate, passport, medical information, SSN.
- Information about any trusts, wills, income tax returns, and your will.
2. Furniture & Appliances
- Will your bed fit in your new space?
- Do you have a couch, loveseat, or chair you’d like to bring with you?
- Are there coffee tables or side tables you want to keep?
- Do you have a TV or music player you’d like to bring?
- Are there any kitchen appliances you won’t need in your new home? Decide whether you want to keep your coffee maker, air fryer, toaster, stand mixer, or other appliances.
- Do you want a desk in your new place?
- Are you bringing a computer? Will you need to keep your printer, keyboard, and mouse?
3. Personal Items
- Go through your clothes and get rid of any that you don’t wear or no longer want. Only keep items that have been worn in the last 12 months.
- Can you digitize personal items that take up space like pictures and letters?
- Are there sentimental items that you can give away to friends and family who will appreciate them?
- Are there items that are sentimental that you may need to get rid of? Take some time to prepare to remove the item.
4. Memberships & Subscriptions
- Are there any services you use that you’ll need to cancel when you move? This includes lawn care, snow removal, or meal services.
- Are there online subscriptions you would like to cancel?
- Would you like to sign up for a movie or music streaming platform instead of bringing record or CD collections?
- Do you have to change your mailing address for mail subscription services you are signed up for?
5. Large Items
- Have a plan for whether you will be keeping, selling, or storing any motor vehicles.
- Find a home for any patio furniture or outdoor decorations you can’t take with you.
- You can sell or give away your lawn care equipment like lawnmowers, hedge trimmers, or gardening equipment.
Find the Right Senior Living Home for You
An important part of ensuring that you’ll enjoy your senior living experience is choosing the right community. It’s important to consider how close you are to your friends and family, how active your lifestyle is, and what your health needs are.
At Kingston Residence of Hickory, we have a variety of programs to fit the lifestyles of a variety of individuals in our Assisted Living and Independent Living programs.
With several different floor plans, events, and amenities our residents can customize our programs to their needs. To find out more about our programs and how we can help you or your loved one transition into senior living, contact us and book a tour today!
