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Pay OnlineDownsizing Tips for Seniors and Family
Posted on: November 17, 2017 | by: admin
If it is time to downsize mom or dad into a smaller home or assisted living facility, you may be overwhelmed. Deciding where they will live next, when they will move and what they will do with their items that no longer fit in their home can seem like a defeating task. Follow these tips to help your mom or dad have a smoother transition into a downsized home.
The Best Tips to Follow When Downsizing a Home for Retirement
- Start as Soon as Possible: When you start to get the hint that the large house your mom and dad are living in has become too much to handle, start the process of sorting through their belongings to determine what should stay and what should go. This process can even be started before your mom or dad have found their new home.
- Start Small: When picking the room to start sorting through, choose the smallest room. Tackling the largest room may seem like a smart strategy, but it can leave your senior feeling overwhelmed and like the task is too impossible.
- Sort Out Piles: Sort items into piles labeled “keep”, “donate”, “throw out”, “sell”. Ahead of the move to a downsized home, consider hosting a garage sale to get rid of some of the items in your “sell” pile. If an item is particularly sentimental to your mom or dad, but there’s no reason to bring it to the downsized home, suggest that they pass it on to relatives. Items that are damaged or unusable can be thrown out.
- Offer to Help: Don’t let your mom or dad go through this process alone. Offer to lend a helping hand with determining what items they will need at their new location, and what items they no longer need. Think about it, your mom or dad has collected a lifetime of belongings they felt they needed for decades. In their head, they may view most items as being essential. While your mom or dad is sorting through their items, offer to help and remind them which items they will truly need.
- Consider a Storage Unit Rental: If your mom or dad is having a hard time parting with some of their belongings, but it isn’t possible to fit everything into their downsized home, recommend that they rent a storage unit. A storage unit is a smart location for the storage of seasonal items or items that aren’t used often. This is a great middle ground because when the item is needed, it will just be down the road.
Self Storage for Downsizing
Lighthouse Self Storage has locations throughout California and Florida with storage unit ranging in sizes from 4X4 options to 15×8. Our storage units also come in regular and climate controlled options. Are you interested in learning more about a storage unit rental with Lighthouse Self Storage? Contact us today!
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