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MaryKayBuysse
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Jan 26, 2011, 11:36 AM
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Less is More: Downsizing tips from senior move managers
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Less is More: Downsizing Tips from Senior Move Managers
Older adults considering a move to a smaller environment are most challenged by what to do with the accumulation of "stuff.” The decision to downsize is not an easy one. The National Association of Senior Move Managers (NASMM) also offers the following tips to help you de-clutter while keeping what matters most:
§ Keep a list to stay organized. Once you’ve completed your inventory and decided which items will be moved, put the list to the side for a week and review your list again. After you initially decide to give away long-held possessions, you will find the emotional aspect of the process gets easier over time.
§ Obtain floor plans of the new home to determine the amount of space available.
§ Start small. Go through one room at a time, and then celebrate! If you are an adult child helping your parents to move, ask them to spend only 15 to 20 minutes a day on one task. Let them decide what they'd like to do and what they might find difficult to accomplish. Taking small steps will help your parents adjust to the very idea of moving.
§ Pick a room with less sentimental attachment to complete first. Ask your parents to start sorting through the bathroom or kitchen drawers, and other places in the home holding less emotion than the bedroom, living room or attic (where the oldest mementos are often stored).
§ Within that first room, discard the “easy to part with” possessions first.
§ Carefully examine each item and determine how frequently you (or they) use the item. Consider donating it! If it's a treasure or something you or they would like to keep but the new space cannot accommodate it, suggest keeping it in the family by gifting it to a grandchild or another sibling.
§ Look for other ways to preserve the memory — a photograph of the item, a piece for a scrapbook, or a home video — while passing the tangible item to someone else.
§ Use lots of packing materials so items are properly cushioned against impact. (Packing material is inexpensive, but possessions of a lifetime are priceless.)
§ Don't forget to create and identify an "Open Me First" box. Open boxes according to importance so you won’t be too overwhelmed on moving day. You likely will want to plan for a comfortable “first night,” so focus on bath and bedroom items: toiletries, beddings, nighttime and next day clothing, etc.
Mary Kay Buysse is Executive Director of the National Association of Senior Move Managers (NASMM). NASMM aims to facilitate the physical and emotional aspects of relocation for older adults.
For more information: The National Association of Senior Move Managers
marykay@nasmm.org
Direct tel: 877-606-2766
(This post was edited by MaryKayBuysse on Mar 2, 2011, 12:58 PM)
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