Please Note: This article and others like it on our website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a physician with any questions regarding topics mentioned. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking advice because of something found on our website. And if you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor, go to the emergency department, or call 911 immediately.

As people age, they often have accumulated decades worth of items. From heirlooms to roadside trinkets, we have seen there is often a need to declutter especially preparing to move into senior housing.

When moving into senior housing, many people feel as though they are downsizing or giving up their space. But truth be told, senior housing can be a great way to transition to a healthier lifestyle while living in a more organized and efficient space. Our management company is hosting a free webinar this month on this very topic. Please go to our sister website, SeniorWebinars.com, for more details.

If you can’t make the seminar, here are a few tips to help seniors organize for rightsizing:

Make a Plan
Start your de-cluttering mission by organizing what you have to do by category. Make a list of categories like clothes, keepsakes, and kids’ items, then tackle one at a time. This will help keep the task from feeling too overwhelming.

Donate, Gift, Give Away or Throw Away Unneeded Items
Make sure the item is suitable for donation. Please do not donate dirty, broken, or questionable items. Donating unused, unneeded, and unloved items makes it quick and easy to get rid of them. And knowing that the things your family no longer uses, or needs can help someone who will use and appreciate them.

Think about what types of items you will be getting rid of (i.e., clothes, books, household items, etc.) and find options in your area where you can take most of what you are decluttering.

Pass Down Family Heirlooms
Gift important family keepsakes and furniture to loved ones; you will get to see how happy those mementos make family and friends. Plus, there will not be any confusion over who should get those keepsakes. For less special items, you could take a picture of it, write a brief description of its history, and share it with family members. Then donate or sell the item knowing you have preserved the memory.

Start with Ten and End with an Hour
Take just ten minutes a day to dedicate to decluttering. As you begin to let go of items, it will become easier, and you will then be able to dedicate more and more time to the effort. Increase your decluttering time in five-minute increments each day until you reach an hour. Organizing for one hour a day can have your clutter busted in no time.

If you or your loved one is looking for a community offering Independent Living, Assisted Living, or Memory Care in Sarasota, Florida call us at (843) 305-7377 to get more details on how a senior living community like ours might just be a perfect fit.

Sources: MyDomaine.com, Dolly.com, SimpleLionheartLife.com

If you or your loved one is looking for a community offering Independent Living, Assisted Living, or Memory Care in Yorktown, Virginia call us at (757) 798-8739 to get more details on how a senior living community like ours might just be a perfect fit.