At every stage of life, your wants and needs change, prompting you to make modifications and accommodations to your daily life. Seniors often discover the need to downsize or simplify their living arrangements to create a more comfortable and manageable lifestyle. This can include a wide variety of options including, but not limited to, moving to a smaller space, decluttering your current home, or outsourcing specific tasks to lighten your load. Here are some practical tips to consider if you’re looking to make some changes in your life.
Understanding the Benefits of a Simplified Life:
Less Maintenance-
Your golden years are meant to be a time to focus on the things that bring you joy, fulfillment, and contentment. When you’re bogged down with a daily to-do list, you inadvertently reduce your free-time. A smaller home equates to less cleaning, lower bills, and fewer repairs, thus allowing you more time and money to do the things you enjoy.
Financial Savings-
When your money isn’t tied up in your house, you discover you have a larger budget to do the things that bring you joy. This may include leisurely activities, travel, new hobbies or interests.
Easier Accessibility-
Moving into a smaller space and decluttering your possessions helps to achieve the ideal space for aging in place. Decreasing the number of tripping hazards can reduce the risk of falls and make your necessities easier to access.
Emotional Relief-
Without realizing it, you often overwhelm yourself and burden your minds with material possessions, creating stress where it isn’t necessary. A good purge of unnecessary or infrequently used belongings can lift a weight that you didn’t realize you were carrying.
The Basics of Decluttering & Organizing:
You’ve made the decision to lighten the load and live with the bare necessities, but now you’re not sure where to start! These steps can help you simplify the process and have you on your way to a nice and tidy space.
Keep the Essentials:
Not to go totally “Marie Kondo” on you, but if it doesn’t spark joy, it’s time to part with it. As she says, “To truly cherish the things that are most important to you, you must first discard those that have outlived their purpose.” Take a look at your belongings and determine if they still serve a purpose in your life. Look at each item and ask if it is functional, meaningful, or truly a need in your daily life. If the answer is no, be like Elsa and “Let it Go”! This can be difficult, so sometimes it is best to have someone there with you to help support and guide your decisions.
Sort By Category:
Once you’ve purged, you’re ready to begin organizing. Sort your belongings into categories to make this step more manageable. Kitchen items, clothing, furniture, and other categories all have their place. Each item should have a “home” so it’s easy to find your items, tidy up, and store your belongings.
Keep Digital Records:
Loose papers always seem to be one of the first things to accumulate throughout the house. When applicable, opt to “go paperless” for all of your bills, banking information, and other important documents. You can create digital files on your computer to store this information without having physical clutter to deal with. The same goes for sentimental items. You can scan cards, pictures, awards, and other items of sentimental value to save digitally. If you prefer to keep the physical items, then designate a special box to house all of these items together.
Choosing the Right Housing Option:
This can sometimes be one of the hardest decisions to make as you age. You realize the need to make a change, but you’re struggling to part with your “home”. There are so many memories tied within the walls of your dwelling. For some, it may be the place where they brought their babies home, raised children, celebrated holidays, weddings, and momentous milestones. The walls hold so much more than light switches and picture frames; they’re the foundation of a lifetime of memories. Saying goodbye to this is a very emotional and difficult decision, but sometimes necessary. If you feel you’re no longer safely able to stay in your home alone, it’s time to look at alternate options.
Age-in-Place modifications:
This is an ideal option, allowing you to stay in your home by making changes to suit your needs. You can declutter, install handrails in the bathroom(s), install non-slip flooring, and renovate to create walk-in showers. Additionally, you can outsource specific chores such as yardwork and housekeeping to lighten your workload. If necessary, you can hire in-home care for your physical, emotional, and social needs.
Senior Apartment or Community:
Sometimes staying in your home just isn’t feasible or no longer ideal. In this case, a senior-living community is a great option. These communities specifically cater to the wants and needs of seniors, offering maintenance-free living. Social activities and on-site amenities are just a few of the reasons why this is an appealing and accommodating option.